The Debate

I thought Bob Schieffer was the best moderator so far, instead of the others who just insinuated conflicts, Schieffer put some issues front and center (Palin, Ayers, etc.). Also, did McCain have an Al Gore moment with his heavy "sighs"? Besides this, I think Yglesias is about right:

Unless I’m mistaken:

• McCain spoke derisively of the idea of “spreading the wealth” — he doesn’t want the non-wealthy to get a piece of the action.
• McCain scare-quoted “health” in the phrase “‘health’ of the mother,” and argued that concern for pregnant women’s health is an extreme position.
• McCain dismissed the idea of wanting nuclear plants to be safe as somehow obviously absurd.

All told, a weird performance that seemed directed at people already inside the conservative bubble — people who think that when the public says it doesn’t like Bush, they mean they think Bush has spent too much money.

UPDATE: Also McCain doesn’t know the difference between Down’s Syndrome and autism.