Obama: "I've Got a Bracelet Too!"

After a mediocre first half hour, I thought McCain really started to outclass Obama. McCain came across as a savvy, well-tested leader. This guy is an adult. He knows what he's talking about. That was the impression I got. Not so for Obama. He almost seemed like a child in awe of McCain. Whatever McCain said, Obama would instantly agree. "John is absolutely right." "I agree with John." You can see what I mean in this new McCain ad on YouTube.

But the silliest moment was Obama's "I've got a bracelet too" remark. McCain had just gotten through explaining how the bracelet he wears every day was given to him by a fallen soldier's mother and serves as a constant reminder of the commitment he made to not let her son's death be in vain. Obama's rejoinder? "I've got a bracelet too!" How lame. It reminded me of a little kid jealous that his big bro is getting all of mommy's attention. "I've got a bracelet too, mommy! Look at me! Look at me!"

Silly as that was, the most telling moment for Obama may actually have been precipitated by a McCain gaffe. It began when McCain criticized Obama for failing to support Senator Kyl's resolution to declare Iran's "Republican Guard" a terrorist organization. Now, it's not a major gaffe, but the "Republican Guard" was in Iraq; the group to which McCain referred is called the "Revolutionary Guard." But Obama -- ever unsure of himself -- then repeated the mistake and also made reference to the "Republican Guard in Iran."

You got the feeling Obama was thinking to himself, "Republican Guard? Well, if John said it, it must be right."

McCain-Palin Pulling Away: The Story Behind The Numbers

By now, those who follow politics closely will have noticed that the McCain-Palin ticket has now surged ahead in the electoral college 227-207 and has established a three-point lead in the Rasmussen presidential tracking poll for the third straight day. Equally telling, McCain has roared back from an 18-point deficit and has now pulled one point ahead when voters are asked whom they think will win. The sense of "inevitability" surrounding The One is fading fast.

But perhaps the most interesting news is that McCain is rated as a "better leader" than Obama by 49%-39% of voters and is preferred 55%-40% on the issue of national security. With the U.S. heading towards confrontation with both Russia and Iran, the "leadership" and "national security" issues will only loom larger in the minds of voters. But even if the Democrats can succeed in keeping the focus on the sputtering economy, the data show that McCain is preferred 49%-45% on that issue as well. By all indication, the Democrats seem to be panicking, most obviously seen in their boneheaded decision to attack McCain for not being proficient at email, even though the reason for that is the injuries he suffered while taking torture in Vietnam.

All in all, this is fantastic news for the McCain-Palin ticket. The swing states are trending in favor of the Republicans, and even former Democratic strongholds like New Jersey seem very much in play.

McCain-Palin to Win New Jersey?

New Jersey has been plagued by corrupt Democrats, particularly as of late. Between Gov. Jim "I am a gay American" McGreevey resigning after it was revealed that he had been carrying on an affair with another man (whom he had conveniently hired to serve as homeland security advisor even though he was not even a U.S. citizen), or the current Corzine-Katz scandal, or the fraud conviction of the former mayor of Newark, New Jersey Democrats have had a rough go of it. So McCain and Palin -- with their proven track record of reform -- might start looking pretty good to the fine people of New Jersey.

Republicans have not carried New Jersey in a presidential election since 1988, but might this be their year? A new Marist College poll shows that McCain has cut Obama's lead to 48-45 among likely voters. Stay tuned, this could get very interesting.