On the one hand, last night's presidential debate -- the third and, can you believe it, final -- was John McCain's best. He got off a couple of zingers ("if you wanted to run against George Bush, you should have run four years ago"), used "air quotes" effectively (if you respond to that kind of thing, which we do), he introduced the personal story of a plumber/entrepeneur Joe to good effect, he actually looked at his opponent, smiled, shook hands vigorously.
He even said "good job" at the end of the night.
Yet ... yet. John McCain came across uncomfortable, tightly wound and also ... as a bit doddering.
McCain returned to Joe the Plumber one too many times. He said Obama voted against Stephen Breyer for Supreme Court justice when he meant Samuel Alito. One set of air quotes mocked a women's health exception for abortion. And he seemed to be saying, there at the end, that Sarah Palin's son was special needs because of autism (goes without saying, it's Down syndrome). Sadly for McCain, never before have we heard such convincing arguments from Obama that Ayers means nothing to him or his campaign. John McCain made that happen.
No surprise then that the markets are betting big on Obama.
But Karl Rove says that Obama still hasn't closed the deal, while acknowledging that if McCain indeed wins the election, it will be the most impressive comeback ever.
If you're stressed at all about the long-term effect of the financial markets meltdown, don't read this. Those recessions you remember after the tech bubble burst and following 9/11 were nothing compared to what's really in store.
The good news? If you've been saving to buy a home -- and for some reason resisted funky loan offers -- prices are still falling and will likely continue through 2009 and beyond.
Know who won't get hit with hard times? TV characters! Here's the reality check on what TV's favorite people would make in real life.
Real-life TV people David Duchovny and Tea Leoni are splitting up. Seems his sex addiction got in the way of their relationship. (At least Madonna and Guy Ritchie won't feel so alone.)
Here's something many a divorcee or dumpee can vouch for: losing a partner makes you depressed. Meanwhile, bonding with one releases a loyalty chemical.
Child development experts say parents who go on all those nanny shows aren't being loyal to their children. They say these programs, which showcase kids at their absolute worst, invade children's privacy and may cause long-term harm.
Don't tell Sarah Palin but a fish fossil discovered in northern Canada gives clues to patterns in evolution. And that's really all we have for Daily Palin, except that Barack Obama wouldn't say she's qualified to be president and John McCain still can't say how. OK fine, we have this little gem too: she denies that she's ever been negative about her running mate's opponent. Because if there's one thing we all want said about us it's that we pal around with terrorists! Does she listen to herself, like, ever? Oops. Last bit: she's pretty much lost all credibilty at back home in Alaska.
Finally, a speedy recovery to Nancy Reagan. She at the hospital recovering from a broken pelvis. Think she watched the debates? Or Nanny 911?
Photo: MSNBC.com
