We've been through maybe a hundred debates during this campaign, and now it all comes down to tomorrow night.
The big question from the left and right, and the one that is most stuck in John McCain's craw is simply this: Does McCain have the Guts to Say it to Obama's Face?
Of course, we all know that the McCain Campaign, lost, adrift, without focus, hopeless, has been unable to articulate much of anything lately: not a plan for the economy, not a policy, not a central campaign theme. With literally nothing to report, with both neocon foreign policy and Reaganomics deader than Bush's Middle East peace process, the McCain campaign has fallen back to the only remaining page in the Nixonland playbook: motivating the base through the politics of fear and hate. So they settled on Ayers.
The attack is well known and thoroughly discredited, but the manner in which it has been deployed has been particularly craven. Inuendo. Insinuation. Guilt by association. In skirting the politics of bigotry, McCain destroyed his reputation for life, and best of all, it hasn't worked.
He has given insane right-wing extremists an opportunity to practice actual hate. He has galvanized the left. He has cleared the way for Obama to spend weeks addressing real issues, while his campaign bathes him in slime. Meanwhile, independents, seniors, Hispanics, women and middle-class whites have all flocked to Obama's side.
The only question going in to tomorrow's debate is this: why is John McCain trying to distract Americans from solutions to the real problems they face? But that's not the question on John McCain's mind.
For his part, McCain is fuming somewhere, in a red rage, obsessing over the only question on his mind: How dare they accuse me of not having the guts to ask him to his face!
Trapped in his own politics of distraction, blinded by his own rage, John McCain is loping like a bull towards flowing cloaks and sharp knives. The bull is always most furious after the first few passes, but before the final cut. The final cut will undoubtedly come tomorrow night.
Toro! Ole!
McCain knows full well that Ayers allegations only "work" if they are shadowy, whispered insinuations. If he tries to "confront" Obama with Ayers, he will be decimated. He will look like a fool.
OK, he will look like MORE of a fool.
You have another debate coming up. The final debate. Many of your supporters are eager for you to confront Senator Obama on the Bill Ayers relationship in particular. Hillary Clinton even brought this up during the primary. Sen. Obama says you should have the guts to do it in person. So will you?" McCain was asked by KMOX's Mark Reardon."Oh yeah," said McCain. "You know, I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised for me to have the guts to do that. Because the fact is that the question did not come up in that fashion so--you know--I think he's probably ensured that it will come up this time."
I'll be watching mainly to see if McCain blows a gasket.