@squinney,
I was watching the little audience approval lines scroll across the screen when he said that. It plummeted. I think calling yourself a maverick twice in a row violates some law of self promotion.
Now, after about 30 minutes of McCain making an excellent case for himself remaining in the Senate (to combat spending, he's done it! he knows how to do it!), he finally appears in his comfort zone. He managed to goad Obama into responding to that ridiculous jab about the difference between a tactic and a strategy. But Obama still looks better to me. McCain keeps doing this little smirky laugh thing that comes across to me as dismissive. Obama has, for the most part, gotten a handle on the relentless pausing that used to make me cringe in his debates with Hillary. He seems a lot more at ease arguing with McCain.
I really like Lehrer. He's doing a bang-up job.
