last presidential debate

Today Colin Powell broke ranks with the Republican guard to endorse Barack Obama for president. Powell, once heralded as a moderate leader of the GOP, told Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press this morning that throughout his campaign, "Obama displayed a steadiness. Showed intellectual vigor. He has a definitive way of doing business that will do us well."

During Wednesday's debate, McCain said that he has denounced untruths about Obama (despite being responsible for most of them). In true hypocritical style, McCain has now launched the most disgraceful "robocall" campaign in history. Robocalls are computer generated calls that immediately play a pre-recorded message when the phone is asnwered by a person or machine.

Last night in the presidential debate, John McCain declared his supporters above reproach. McCain, who incredibly accused Obama of negative ads, went into a tizzy when the subject came up that his supporters were shouting, "Kill him" and "Terrorist" at his rallies. McCain said:Let me just say categorically I'm proud of the people that come to our rallies...I'm not going to stand for people saying that the people that come to my rallies are anything but the most dedicated, patriotic men and women that are in this nation and they're great citizens."

Joe McCain mentioned "Joe the Plumber" 22 times in last night's presidential debate. Joe, aka, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, is plumber in Ohio. McCain injected him into the debate as an example of a hard working American who would "suffer" under Obama's tax plan. It seems Joe wants to buy a business and McCain claims he would have to pay higher taxes on that business if Obama were President, something Joe doesn't like.

The McCain campaign has been lurching wildly since the Republican Convention trying to find a consistent message or theme. After last night's debate performance, I'd say they finally found one: Anger First.Forget the ill-conceived "Country First" mantra, McCain's entire campaign has been one long dreary exercise in anger. From the blood-thirsty crowds lapping up McCain and Palin's rants about domestic terrorists to McCain's incessant use of bellicose words to describe his policies "fight," "never surrender" --blah, blah -- this is one angry campaign and one angry candidate.