But will he fall asleep?

McCain will be snide and sarcastic though. he will try to goad obama into losing his cool like he did in the mertle beach debate during the primary. Obama needs to be ready on all the factual points because mccain will be distorting his ass off hoping the people never get the truth from post debate fact checking.

And when someone is trying very, very hard not to lose their temper, how do they come off?

Halting and sedated.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

McCain will, however, use the hell out of that sickly grin.

Isn't that the rub about bad tempers though? You can't really control your temper if you have a nasty temper. Therefore, its possible that he loses his temper.

McCain will, however, use the hell out of that sickly grin. I think it's going to be a case of Palin upstaging him that causes him to blow.

That's Just What I Said

Wanna make a bet?

What makes McCain-watching so fun is his unpredictability. Who knows what he'll do--blow up, go off on an insane tangent, lose his train of thought, get in a few snarly quips.

That said, he'll probably be stiff but competent, if a little sarcastic. Obama's goal shouldn't be to goad him into losing his cool, but instead to look more knowledgeable and calm and collected than McCain. He just has to make people feel comfortable with him being president, like Reagan in 1980. And to remind voters why the Republican brand is so tarnished in 2008.

i've been wondering if he isn't on some type of medication(which might also account for memory problems)

Unfortunately for Team McInsane, most of the short-acting pharmacological options at their disposal for subduing his rage are apt to make him more vulnerable to one of his patented senior moments. His two modes of functioning are (1)telling everyone to get off his lawn and (2) trying to reorient himself to time, person and place. I can't wait to see which one shows up.

But this also might be a way for the McCain campaign to limit expectations. If he keeps his temper, it's a win for McCain. He knows that he can keep his temper on national television (he's an experienced politician) so he has his surrogates float the rumor that Obama's people are hoping to bait him. Makes McCain into a sympathetic figure...maybe.

McCain may not lose his temper, but he can get very stiff when provoked as he controls himself. Either way, if Obama gets under McCain's collar, McCain will look bad.

Just mention how he abandoned his first wife for a younger, richer model at the very first opportunity.

Mention how he crashed, what, 4 jets? What a loser.

Mention how he collaborated with the Vietnamese while a "heroic" prisoner.

Mention how he screwed the POW/MIA families.

Mention how he screws veterans at EVERY opportunity, from VA spending to the GI Bill.

Refer to his ticket as the Palin/McCain ticket.

This commenting system is so slow that after you press Post, the message sits on the screen long enough for you to spot 3 typos and think of 4 more things to say. But it's too late, because the message has been sent in background.

This message previewed by Kevin "Calpundit" Drum.

It's kinda like trying NOT to have an orgasm. YOu can kind'a fake it, but the release is almost always irresistible.

I think Biden is the one we need to worry about. Just in the past day or so, he's said he thought an Obama ad was terrible (he's walked that back a bit), and said Obama doesn't support clean coal (he does) and that it "kills people."

I'm not sure that follows at all. Obviously his people want very much for him not to lose his temper. And most likely he himself will be trying not to lose his temper. But that doesn't mean he won't lose his temper - it's not like that's something you choose to do.

On the opposite side of things, Dukakis's people knew that Dukakis's great temperamental weakness was that he seemed like a passionless technocrat. One would imagine Dukakis himself had some awareness of the problem. And yet, when Bernie Shaw came along and asked that question, Dukakis couldn't stop himself from coming across like a passionless technocrat.

Biden needs drugs to shut his mealy-mouthed pie hole.

McCain is an ASSHOLE and Biden needs to accept that objective fact and quit apologizing for him being an asshole.

Palin is a nasty, murderous, unqualified, dangerous, HORRIBLY ignorant harpy and he needs to quit apologizing for her being so.

It might work if Obama offers him a high five and waits, and waits, and waits.

That's Just What I Said

There are fairly even odds that a metastatic melanoma cell will cause McCain to blubber and drool.

There are fairly good odds that McCain will simply stroke out from the strain of trying to hold his temper.

While I agree that McCain probably will not lose his temper, I don't think he has much control over whether it happens or not.

I know lots of people with very short tempers, and I know from experience that even if they are making a conscious effort to control themselves, if you can get them in a very quick exchange (a tit for tat) they expend more attention on keeping up with the conversation than they do on reigning in their temper.

That's why I think the format for the debate is a net negative for McCain. If Obama challenges him, he'll get angry. McCain truly does not believe Obama is an honest, worthy opponent. He holds him in extraordinary contempt. I think if anyone has the potential to make McCain blow his top, its Obama. He really does believe, to use the crass slang that Republicans have been bandying about recently, that Obama is uppity; that he doesn't have standing to question McCain.

My money is on McCain not losing his temper, but more because Obama isn't a great debater (or even a very good one). If he were, he'd know exactly what to say that would seem utterly benign to the audience but would utterly infuriate McCain.

I'm more interested to see if McCain has another of his senior moments (confusing the Guard and the Army, being unable to locate Spain on a map) during a debate. That would be heaven-sent for Obama

If the word is 'in the press,' you can be certain McCain's camp put it there. I have a feeling this is just an expectations meme they want to catch on.

"Obama says McCain has a temper problem, but look how calm he was during the debates!"

This is the McCain camps way of fighting the rash comments he's made concerning Georgia and the financial crises. I don't buy it.

I think it is important for Obama not to just be more knowledgeable and calm but to make that everyman connection. If he can't connect with joe-six pack then we have lost half of the votes in the election.

dr. bloor @4:59 - Didn't you mean "lawns"??

I don't think McCain will lose his temper, but that creepy half-smile that he uses to barely contain his rage may be on display, and I am not sure which is worse for his campaign. It might be better for him to launch into a tirade and rip Obama's heart from his chest than grin like the damned and say "my friends" every other word.

Just because you know you have a bad temper doesn't mean you can stop it from flaring. McCain seems so bizarre lately, with odd speech and mannerisms, memory lapses, strange affect; who knows what will come out of him during a high-pressure situation. Plus, he doesn't deal well with being challenged on anything. In other words, all the characteristics and personal attributes we look for in a president. But, he does have the right stuff, right?

I agree they should not focus on this directly.

There are many other creative and indirect ways to point to impulsiveness, recklessness, flip-flopping, bad judgment(or even no judgment).

If you just scratch the surface a little bit, it's so apparent there is nothing there but a bitter washed up POW who no longer even knows who he is or what he wants.

Frank is right...not gonna happen.

McCain was cool a a cucumber during the Rick what's his name religious forum whateverthatwas and he is not stupid enough to lose it under any circumstances.

Not. Gonna. Happen.

(Oh, but to dream!!)

Unfortunately, I think many of the comments above are wishful thinking.

What we do need is a superb performance by Obama. He probably has more than enough advice on how to do that already, but I'm praying for less stammering, less pensiveness, less of an academic delivery and more fire, somewhat moderated. (I agree with somebody who posted somewhere that if he comes off too angry, people will see "an angry black man" and get turned off.) On the other hand, if he's too generous toward the opposition, they'll eat his lunch. My hope is that he will be firm, presidential, but call out McCain on his lies.

Crankily,
The New York Crank

The Obama camp has been very good at message control, but leaking this out is stupid. It looks childish, and gives them a heads up.

In the comments, Biden has been taken to task for calling a certain Obama campaign ad "terrible." It WAS terrible. It only ran a few times before getting pulled, and not that many people saw it, but it was still a bad advertisement and I credit Biden for saying so. The Obama campaign CAN make mistakes, you know; it can also admit to them.

As for McCain: my money is not on him popping his cork, but his temper may present itself in some bizarre statements during the debate.

He will lie during the debate. Obama just needs to keep identifying them as lies, and use that word to describe them: lies. That will pressure McCain like nothing else, since he has prided himself for being seen as a "straight talker" in the past.

drinking contest -- everytime he says "my friends"

If the word is 'in the press,' you can be certain McCain's camp put it there. I have a feeling this is just an expectations meme they want to catch on.

Yes. Obama's people aren't running around saying they'll make McCain blow up. They don't leak, and they surely don't leak stupid.

McCain was cool a a cucumber during the Rick what's his name religious forum... -MsJoanne

Well, it was a friendly interview in front of a friendly crowd who didn't care if he gave canned answers. I hope Obama is not as easy on him.

Here's what I think the script is that the McCain camp is trying to put out there:

Obama won't be a good debater.
Obama says McCain has a temper problem.

During the debate, I think John McCain is going to try to do everything he can, include flat out lie, to purposefully get any type of reaction from Obama.

Then the bobble heads will bleat: "Look, Obama is the one with the temper!"

It won't work, though. Obama will stay cool. And frankly, nothing makes a short temper flare up then someone staying cool in spite of the prodding.

As someone with a short temper, I can attest to it being a bear to control.

And anyone who disagrees with me can kiss my ass! :)

One word says it all---I just can't figure which of two words it will be, so I'll let everyone else decide. Is "The Word:"

1.) McQualude, or

2.) McHiroshima?

Both candidates have been studying for this debate with "actors" portraying the opponent.

I think Obama's debating skills will improve since the last time we saw him because he is a good student and a really smart guy. He used to stutter at the beginning of responses, like he was trying to talk and get his thoughts together at the same time. He still does it sometimes. He's also so damn smart that his responses are too lengthy. But Obama in playing hoops before the debate so he'll be relaxed yet pumped.

McCain is more likely to to get flustered because he is inherently not a very good student. I think he is more likely to talk in circles in an attempt to sound more intelligent.

The Obama folks, by the way, aren't interested in anything flashy or game-changing. The Reagan-Carter debates weren't much (unless you count "there you go again" as a real hit), but people looked at Reagan and decided they could vote for him. It was all over after that.

I think that's what Obama hopes to acheive.

So how was McCain in the Republican debates, anyway? I could never listen to them, because they all talked in code, not about real stuff.

As others have noted:

He loses his temper

OR

He squelches his rage and erupts in seriously creepy heh-heh-hehs on top of inappropriate grins.

Either one's fine with me.

John, which number of the Keating 5 were you again?

I think if Obama carefully suggests to McCain that it is simply un-American to refer to ones wife as a "cunt," that should flip him right off his podium and into a tantrum that requires an adult diaper, a muzzle and a dog leash.

If McSame's primary goal is to not lose his temper then isn't that simply a license to tweak him. Images of him straining to hold his temper could be as toxic as him blowing up.

it should be interesting at any rate. I hope Jim Lehrer fields good questions and not Gibsonian gotchas

I don't think McCain is going to lose his temper. But I do think he will be condescending towards Obama so Obama has to be prepared for that.

I did read somewhere last week that Obama's debate camp was working on him being able to deliver short, concise answers. We saw a little of that work today when he was talking about the bailout. He was winding on and on, stopped himself and said he would try to put it in a short answer, and then gave a short description of what he had just spent minutes before describing. So, he's learning but the answer still wasn't short enough. He still has a couple of days so I think he'll be OK.

This debate isn't expected to be a big win for Obama. Foreign policy is supposed to be McCain's strong suit (why I don't know - his answer to everything seems to be to start another war) and I think Obama is willing to give him this one.

Obama will be calm, serious, and presidential but he will not be seen as winning the debate.

John McCain never was able to realize who he was in my view.

If you look at his bio, he never even wanted to go to Military Academy (where he almost flunked out). He wanted to be a liberal arts major, but his family legacy of course would have nothing of it.

This is sad indeed--but now it's become perverted to something dangerous for all of us--because he's
become the epitome of "A Rebel Without a Cause" for his life entire--and we know a rebel without a cause will continue to look for a 'cause' and invent 'causes'-- at any length--to keep elevating his heroic 'rebel' persona.

Beta blockers. I bet you he'll be dosed.

Lori,

That McCain is perceived as the stronger foreign policy candidate by many is exactly why Obama won't be "willing to give him this one."

I don't think Obama would ever willingly, weakly concede. You're right, he'll be "calm, serious, and presidential," but he won't let McCain slide.

Obama will win this debate. He'll win all of them. The question is, do debates matter?

I am so sure the Obama people put the word out about the "secret plan". I think this is known as a Rovian leak.

The Obama people are using the media to get the word out that McCain is a hot head ? Then after the debate, they will be like "Well at least McCain didn't lose it".

It is about time Obama started cashing in on the free press. So how is Team McCain going to counter because no way they bit on this. But if they do, McCain mind will be elsewhere.

Before the next debate:
"Word in the press is that Biden's people are hoping Sarah Palin can be goaded into admitting she supports the burning of books."

He squelches his rage and erupts in seriously creepy heh-heh-hehs on top of inappropriate grins.

The operative descriptive is "...heh-heh-hehs on top of inappropriate rictous grins."

We are anticipating that the honorable POW hero John McCain will be extra-special mavericky with a yummy reform-filled center for the debates. And nothing he says in these debates will dissuade us from reporting on our expectations. In fact, we have a draft ready to go to the printers already.

I don't think Obama needs to or should try to make McCain lose his temper. McCain is his own worst enemy, and I think there is a good chance he will self-destruct. Also, I hope and pray for the creepy full-denture grin. It is, how you say, a "game-changer."

How about we drug test the candidates? Dollars to Doughtnuts McCain will be (or is) on mood stabilizers of one description or another

I agree with T.A., and here's why ...

Obama will be too much Post-Partisan Politics™ (translation: “kumbaya�) to goad McCain.

I think Biden is the one we need to worry about. ...said Obama doesn't support clean coal (he does)." - gradysu (5:01)

What I heard Obama say was that he will support clean coal, but first we need the technology to sequester the pollutants. That's a lot different from the insincere support for "clean coal" that Bush offers. In that sense, I would argue that what Biden said is not a contradiction.

I know it's a debate about foreign policy, but I think it would prove seamless for Obama to make the tie between honor abroad and honor here with regard to veterans benefits and support. You simply can't separate one from the other.

Why can't we have George Will question McCain as a debate moderator? After all, he's a proud conservative.

I'm totally convinced that McCain is in the advanced-early stages of senile dementia (Alzhimer's - about where RayGun was when he left office) and I have my fingers crossed for that showing up in an obvious and undeniable way during the debates. Seriously.

that should flip him right off his podium and into a tantrum that requires an adult diaper, a muzzle and a dog leash.

You rang?

The Strippers for Kerry had a great debate party in NYC in 2004 during those debates. Someone suggested a "My Friends" drinking contest. Guess that would be better than "Strip-My Friends" as one would be naked before the end of the first answer.

Does McCain really have that many friends?

Stubear: I agree on the dementia issue. While his sentences often contain noun, verb and POW, the noun and verb are often unrelated. He has obvious signs of a failing memory, and even has difficulty putting together necessary components to complete a sentence.

"Honor" is the key word. McCain wouldn't define "honor" in his "prickly" Time interview. He knows he's running a dishonorable campaign and is breaking his pledge to "run a respectful campaign based on the issues."

Obama could also call him on his Spain snub from last week.

Those distemper shots work very well.

I'm not as concerned about McCain as I am in Barack's scholarly meandering when asked a question. I saw him today on a press conference, which he commanded quite well, but only another economist would have completely gotten the gist. Plus, he was asked three times whether he would vote no to the bailout package if his 4 proposals weren't met and I'm not sure if ever gave a definitive answer. Unfortunately, McCain was asked the very same question and he said straight away, "I don't know yet."

Keep it simple, Brother!

There are two articles on today's NYT's front page about the debates ("Obama Faces Vulnerability" and McCain's Style: A Fierce Rival"). I only skimmed the front page bits so far but the second article has this para in it:
A review of several of Mr McCain's past debates shows that he's most comfortable and authentic when the subject is foreign policy. And in a stroke of god fortune, that is the topic for Friday"

Too bad Ms Seelye doesn't read the NYT. If she had, she might have read the article from Sunday (Saturday?), which talked about the debate schedule... The organisers wanted the foreign policy debate to go last, with economy first. It was *Obama* who requested the reversal, with McCain agreeing, enthusiastically.

That little bit tells us almost all we need to know about the two men's approaches and styles. McCain wants to put his best foot forward. His hope is that he'll make a great first impression, to carry him through the possible (probably inevitable, given his lack of understanding of economy) messes in later debates.

Obama, OTOH, wants to showcase his best side (and, coincidentally, the issue which is coming up in polls as the most pressing one) as late as possible. So that the good impression will carry him not through the next two debates, but through the elections.

For me, that difference in long-term planning and the cool assessment of the situation would have been enough, by itself, to sway me towards Obama, without even seeing how the debates shake up.

"Obama will win this debate. He'll win all of them. The question is, do debates matter?"

Obama may win this debate and all of them. The question is, will there be any coverage so that anyone will *know* it?

Oh he can be goaded. One of the great things about a free-form debate is that Obama can keep pressing and pressing and pressing....

Agree with ScottW. Establishing "Can McCain control himself?" is a win-win for Obama regardless of the outcome; no need for Obama to goad McCain (and Obama would be wise not to go down that path).

"But will he fall asleep?"

Posted by: David in NY on September 23, 2008

Darn. You took the words right out of my mouth. :-(

John McCain has been a great senator for Arizona. He brought home so much pork there isn't enough lipstick in the state to cover it up.

America needs new leadership, not a third Bush term.

McCain is lucky he's not getting the town hall debates. In his regular town halls he only gets asked questions by an audience his campaign have screened.

In a town hall debate with Obama, McCain might get asked a question by someone who isn't sucking up to him.

McCain will keep his cool and do the usual politician shuffle (not answer the question asked and move right into pre-prepared, base loving talking points as he did at the Warren 'coversation'). And he'll be allowed to get away with it because Americans don't care and the debate won't be designed to stop such transgressions (or even point them out).

Obama will come off as likeable yet aloof and too intellectual. His intelligence and grasp of the issues will come through but he wont 'connect' with the 'little guy' enough. But he'll do fine with his base and most independents.

Obama has one worry which has already been stated - he really isnt a good debater. He can stammer and be long winded. But if the debate isn't a 'gotcha' debate like the Clinton / Obama ABC debate in PA then Obama will come through unscathed.

McCain? His problem is all physical. He isnt pretty and hes actually kind of creepy looking. I hate to say this about the US but the taller, prettier candidate wins. McCain in his old creepiness (whether angry and clenched to control his anger) just wont sell on close up TV.

But the net for both will be negligible. I say a draw - both sides die hards satisfied (not overwhelmed though) with their choices performance, but left without any 'gotcha's' on the other guy.

it all depends on what you consider 'loosing his temper'

I'll be happy if McCain pays so much attention to not losing his temper, that he keeps repeating those nauseating habits.
the smirk
the eery smile plastered on his face
the awkward laugh
the dodging questions
the 'my friends'
the 'that's not change we can believe in'
catch him lying during the debate and it will be hard to spin out of that one.

I think the more he focuses on not losing his temper the more mistakes he'll make. His campaign just can't control all of the bad habits

Bet he will.

Prolly not, but he will get flustered, start blinking alot and bumble about.

McCain won't lose his temper, but that creepy laugh and shit eating grin will be on full display, and it's not endearing.

exlibra: Obama, OTOH, wants to showcase his best side (and, coincidentally, the issue which is coming up in polls as the most pressing one) as late as possible. So that the good impression will carry him not through the next two debates, but through the elections.

But if I'm not mistaken, the first debate is always the most watched, and by a considerable margin. Y'all will correct me if I'm wrong on that.

It would be madness for the Obama campaign to dwell on this. They should dwell on what they - we - think the voters *should* dwell on.

McCain will say something crazy like "make it 100." He always does that, esp. if someone comes across like they are challenging him. He can't resist. It is his way of saying "F U" without blowing his top.

He definitely subscribes to the theory that if someone points out a weakness that you should double-down on that weakness. "Do you regret pushing for all of that deregulation?" "Make it 100 years of deregulation and a trillion dollar bailout, asshole." That was his response, right?

Obama's big advantage--not so much in the debates, but in the home stretch of the campaign--is his youth and comparative vitality.

From now thru the election, I think he should hit the pavement in a blistering "full-court press" and set a world record for number of appearances and speeches. Make McCain defend, defend, defend everywhere. He won't be able to keep up in terms of raw stamina, and that strain will show eventually in the form of gaffes or temper outbreaks.

It's even worse for McC that Palin can't campaign on her own... while Biden can double Obama's impact.

I think this long-run strategy will be more dependable than counting on McCain to flub a one-hour debate. Most US senators ARE pretty good at getting through events like that without blowing their tops.

It depends on how hard he:

"Senator, is it true that if your daughter Bridget were raped, you'd prefer she not have access to a morning after pill?"

"Senator, you told Rick Warren that you believe human rights begins at conception. Do you advocate the death penalty to doctors performing IVF services?"

"over and over again, Senator, you've demonstrated you have absolutely no understanding of the policies you advocate. Can you, here and now, explain how taxing people's health care benefits makes any sense at all?"

"As I said, over and over again, you have either lied about your position on an issue, or changed your mind in a very short space of time. For example, you say you oppose SS privatization, but support private accounts for young people. You say you favor a cap and trade system for carbon control, but you don't thing it should be mandatory. Do you not realize that this demonstrates that you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about?"

Or, to open:

"Folks, this is likely to be a very confusing debate, because it is clear that Senator McCain, despite spending 26 years in Washington, really has no grasp of the policy issues we are discussing today. Time after time, in town hall after town hall, he has stuck to slogans that could be printed on a bumper sticker, but has shown no understanding of the policies that underlie those slogans. Worse, he reads off of one bumper sticker and then prints up a new one the following day. Listen to him tonight. Ask yourself if he even has a clue about what underlies his slogans. Ask yourself if, when he retires tonight to his wife's private plane to fly off to one of his 7 houses, where he keeps his couple of dozen cars, in the company of his campaign manager whose company has been, and still is, being paid 15,000 dollars a month by Fannie Mae, has any idea what your life is like?"

It all depends on whether Obama decides he really wants him to lose his temper.

Obama just needs to keep saying that McCain is lying and distorting the facts - call him on all the misstatements. Make McShame sound old and desparate. Do not gode him that is petulant and wrong. Just give the audience a sense of an old man that is desparate & lying to get his point across.

Obama just needs to state all the lies and problems of McShame/McPain.

One day later: McCain realizes the only way to control his temper is to cancel the debate.