John McCain will attend tonight’s debate despite there not yet being a deal on the bailout. Realistically, McCain couldn’t afford to miss it. Obama’s biggest weakness is still the Commander in Chief test: McCain has to ram home the point that he is significantly better qualified for this role than Obama if he is to have a real chance of winning the election.
McCain also has to better Obama tonight to regain momentum. The last week of presidential campaign coverage has been dominated by a string of stories that hurt McCain. First, there was the row over McCain’s campaign manager’s alleged ties to Freddie Mac. Second, there was the Sarah Palin’s appalling interview performance on the CBS News which made even some of her most ardent supporters think twice about whether she is up to the job. And most importantly there was the financial crisis where McCain has been all over the lot. His decision to suspend his campaign and say that he’d skip the debate if there wasn’t a deal appeared more rash than statesmanlike while Obama’s cool demeanor worked in his favour, making him appear presidential.
The first debate is normally the most watched of the presidential debates and the event of the past week and the interest in this election—look at the record convention viewing figures—should ensure a particularly large audience. A clear win tonight would give McCain a much needed boost and stop Obama pulling away in the polls, Obama’s lead is now basically back to where it was straight after the Democratic convention By contrast, if Obama wins tonight then he will be on his way to gaining an insurmountable lead.
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