Obama vs. McCain III: McCain Buries Himself

[Black Star News Editorial]

Senator John McCain sealed his fate during
tonight's debate with his open admission that while he would not conduct a
"litmus test" on potential Supreme Court nominees, he would not
appoint a judge who supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose.

Moreover, all the Clinton women voters
and independents will now probably pitch their tents with Senator Barack
Obama's; the Democrat unequivocally stated that he supports Roe v. Wade.

A CNN poll gave Obama 58% as the
winner with McCain getting only 31%. The CNN also saw Obama's favorable opinion rise from 63 percent at the start of the debate to 66 percent at the end of the debate, CNN reported. McCain's favorables dropped from 51 percent to 49 percent.

Even FOX News's own survey gave the nod  to  Obama.

McCain referred to people who support
late term abortion as the "extreme aspect of" of pro-choicers. This
ugly language in referring to something that only women can best understand,
cannot win him votes except from his solid Republican base.

McCain also wasted much time attacking
Obama as a tax-and-spend candidate. It's a curious strategy at a time when the
Congress has just approved a $700 billion package to bailout the economy, with
$250 billion going to save major commercial and investment banks.

How would a candidate oppose spending
on programs to create jobs and expand healthcare coverage to the general
populace when Main Street has already received such a mountain of money?

Obama should have leaned over and
asked McCain: "Now that you've voted on $700 billion for Wall Street don't
you believe that Main Street, including your supporters, deserves some
government support as well?"

Obama was cautious: He was excellent
when he discussed his healthcare plan and completely destroyed McCain's when he
pointed out that although McCain's plan offered people $5,000 each (which is
taxable), on average, a healthcare program costs $12,000. Recipients of
McCain's plan would end up actually losing money, Obama observed.

On the abortion and spending issues
alone, McCain forfeited this election.

McCain also brought up the alleged
friendship between William Ayers and Obama; Ayers was a member of the
Weathermen, a radical organization that bombed federal
buildings, during the 1960s. Obama pointed out that Ayers committed the acts which he had already
denounced as "despicable" while he was a young boy. He also pointed
out that Ayers is now a professor and that he and Ayers served together on the
board of a foundation that was funded by Mr. Annenberg, a former ambassador
under Ronald Reagan.

Obama should have also held up the
column written in The Wall Street Journal today extolling Ayers and how he's
been fully rehabilitated. The column's author said he knew Ayers was no
terrorist because they were friends. Obama should have asked McCain, "Do
you believe this Wall Street Journal columnist is also palling around with
terrorists----Senator?"

At the end of the day, Senator Obama
was clearly presidential, while Senator McCain, consistently, was his usual
grumpy, angry old persona. He chortled and evidenced clear contempt throughout, which is unfortunate since even his supporters know that Obama is smarter than McCain.

There's not much more to discuss here.

McCain needed to win independents and
so-called undecideds.

McCain forgot and appealed to red-meat
Republicans--the same base of voters he had already secured with his selection
of Sarah Palin as his running mate.

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