Third debate and McCain strikes out

Although he got in a snappy put down, appeared more steady and a bit less cranky, third time wasn’t a charm for Sen. John McCain in the presidential debates.

The Arizona Republican vied with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., last evening in the third and final 2008 campaign debate, held at Hofstra University in New York state.

From his sorry excuse for having run a viciously negative and dishonest campaign to possibly alienating most women voters with one callous, dismissive remark, McCain registered more as misfit than maverick.

Fittingly, virtually all post-debate polling indicates a solid win for Obama.

McCain tried to rattle his calm, composed opponent by putting him in his place, telling Obama at one point that if he wanted to run against George W. Bush, he (Obama) should’ve run for president four years ago.

Unruffled, Obama responded with a telling comeback.

“If I’ve occasionally mistaken your policies for George Bush’s policies, it’s because on the core economic issues that matter to the American people – on tax policy, on energy policy, on spending priorities – you have been a vigorous supporter of President Bush,” he said.

When asked by moderator Bob Schieffer about negative attacks by both campaigns, McCain went weasely. He tried to justify his campaign’s ceaseless efforts to depict Obama as a too-different, unpatriotic elitist who pals around with terrorists by saying Obama had failed to join him in town hall appearances, as he had suggested.

That was the lamest excuse we’ve ever heard in a presidential debate. It was so inane, so childish sounding, we consider it clear evidence McCain lacks the intellectual honesty and integrity to be president.

Indeed, McCain’s excuse was a blatant insult to the intelligence of everyone watching.

However, that wasn’t McCain’s only off-putting remark. Discussing the abortion issue, Obama explained he had voted against a partial-birth abortion measure because it lacked an exception for protecting the health of the mother.

McCain, saying Obama is an elegant speaker, dismissively declared . . . (video here)

He’s (for) health for the mother. You know, that’s been stretched by the pro-abortion movement in America to mean almost anything.”

With that, McCain surely got on the wrong side of millions of women, many of whom strongly oppose abortion as after-the-fact birth control, yet want laws limiting abortions to include exceptions for rape, incest and protection of the mother’s life and health.

Discussing so-called free trade and explaining his opposition to a new agreement with Colombia, Obama mentioned lack of protection for workers in other countries. Labor leaders have been murdered in Colombia, Obama said, yet no one has been brought to justice for the killings.

McCain, looking annoyed, actually rolled his eyes (video).

McCain’s eye-roll made it clear that, just like President Bush, he considers unions and their leaders enemies. On the bright side, McCain did refrain from saying the slain Colombians got what was coming to them.

Desperate for some good post-debate news, right wingers are ginning up lots of noise about “Joe the plumber.” More on that part of the debate in our post below.