Gloves Off

Tune in tonight to watch the second debate between McCain and Obama beginning 9 p.m. Eastern. The format will be a town-hall style meeting with 80 uncommitted voters on stage with the candidates. 

Will this style help McCain? He seems to love talking before a live audience. It might be his best forum. The media has hyped his success in this format so much that you wonder just how Obama can keep up.

Oh yeah, there's a little financial crisis on Wall Street, and the credit crisis is spreading. Maybe voters will remember MCain's involvement in the Keating Five savings-and-loan scandal.

Even though Obama doesn't have the same folksy manner of McCain, Obama knows how to inspire a crowd too. I expect Obama to stay focused on the issues. I don't expect to hear smear tactics from Obama, he knows voters are more concerned about the economy.

Thanks to a tip from NYTimes.com, check out the YouTube clip below about McCain and his beloved town hall format.

Helicopter Parenting on the Campaign Trail

Recently Sarah Palin expressed a view on Pakistan that contradicted McCain's stand. In the world according to McCain, when the "gotcha journalists" recognized this gaffe by Palin they should have ignored the event.

Ooops. I guess the reporters didn't read "The World According to McCain." Oh well... Palin shouldn't worry, we all make a few mistakes. And last time I checked Palin was over forty and she should be old enough to not require her parents (or McCain) to bail her out. 

Why did McCain, the over-protective parent figure, tag along on the interview? Instead of letting Palin explain herself in the interview with Couric on Monday, evidently McCain felt he needed to tag along just in case she needed help. What does this rescue by McCain say about his opinion of Palin's competence and how she handles herself on foreign policy or any policy?

Watch CBS Videos Online

A joint interview with Palin and McCain is fine with me as long as they both bring something to the interview. However, in Monday's joint interview with Katie Couric, McCain appeared to be like the helicopter parent who goes to the principal's office in a weak attempt to blame others and excuse Palin's bad behavior.

In this case, McCain felt he needed to set the record straight and rescue Palin because evidently she couldn't handle the interview situation on her own. (Was he thinking about her recent train wreck of an interview with Couric?)

According to McCain, the problem is not Palin's sound byte. The "real" problem is: Gotcha journalism. 

Hmmm. I thought that was something a high profile politician should know how to handle. Couldn't Palin clarify her statement to Couric without her helicopter parent?