Again I was only able to watch with one eye and listen with one ear, but that was enough to give me a sense of deja vu 1992, beginning with it being a stupid economy and ending with Obama's growing confidence in his own Clintonite slickness.

Meanwhile, the Republican was floundering, unable to articulate the most important points about the most important topic. McCain did invoke Ronald Reagan again, but only in a foreign policy context. For all his genuine affection for Reagan, he is absolutely clueless about Reagan's positions on government and the economy. So there he went again, promising to give away the store. And I bet there are no ponies in the thick of that dung heap.

Even what townhall format there was didn't help McCain, other than perhaps during his fine exchange with the chief petty officer. Obama was out of his league when it was his turn to respond to the Navy vet. But otherwise McCain's movements and gestures accentuated his age, and unl...