Sorry for the lack of posting but I'm just readjusting to working again and while I have plenty of things to say, I don't have the energy yet to post. Also, unlike previous times, I have a life now.

Anyways, about last night's debate. I know everybody complained about how boring it was but I actually thought it was a really good debate in that it was what a debate should be like in an ideal political world. Both candidates sounded well informed, the discussions were extremely issue related, and most importantly, both of them said what they believed and neither chickened out in saying it.  You got a really good idea of what each politician was like and what they stood for.  The problem is that we're so conditioned in seeing politics as entertainment that everyone was disappointed because it wasn't entertaining. We want zingers and gaffes, "defining moments," and gotcha moments. Instead, we actually got, well, a real live debate.

The other thing everyone is complaining about is that Obama didn't go for the jugular despite having ample opportunity and openings to do so. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be his MO and that's just the way it is. We should also realize that part of our desire to see him go for the jugular is more because those of us on the left-side of things see this as a blood sport and we want to see blood. For those people who aren't that partisan, they're far less concerned with seeing blood and the election doesn't turn on what we think.

The other thing is that everyone is missing the big picture, the whole strategy vs. tactics thing. The entire year and a half Obama has done the same thing, gotten a plan together and stuck to that plan no matter what while remaining entirely cool, calm and collected while doing so. The result of which is that it's made his two main competitors, Hillary and McCain, do stupid and silly things out of frustration in not being able to, well, get his goat up, to make it look like he's sweating. So Hillary started gunning shots down in a bar in Ohio and talking about dodging sniper fire while McCain has been nothing but acting bat-shit crazy for the past month or so. And the whole time, Obama just stood there in all of his zen-like glory and pretended that none of this was going on. The dude has some mother fucking  ice in his veins.

As anyone who's been in this kind of situation before (well not running for something but having some sort of argument with anyone) knows that the most annoying thing to face is somebody who doesn't appear flustered, to reflect back the other person's anger and emotion. The more you argue and the more you fight, the more and more frustrating it gets. That's what Obama's been this whole time and it's why he wins, because he makes everyone lose their cool before he does. It's the rope-a-dope strategy that everyone suspects is his main strategy.

Which brings us back last night. People were thinking that Obama would try and goad McCain on and try and get McCain to reveal his well known temper. Well, Obama didn't try to, or at least that's how it looked. But if you watched the debate or heard it on the radio, McCain got more and more condescending and snippy throughout the debate. Once again, Obama wins for doing nothing but letting his opponent hang himself by their own rope.

In other words, well, see the picture above.  That just might be my favorite picture in the world.