Ok boys and girls, as the "Primaries" thread keeps sinking into oblivion its time to start a new one on the finals...McCain v. Obama.

Lets try to keep this objective at times and partisan at others, but lets keep out the ad hominem attacks on fellow posters.

I would make the following observations:

1. The current polls showing them in a dead heat will change as Obama consolidates power and Hillary supporters start coming to their senses. He probably gets about a 9 point bounce IMHO and goes into the conventions about 10 points ahead.

2. McCain sees to be enjoying a huge electoral vote advantage
and I don't see Obama winning unless he can poach a few states like Virginia and New Mexico and carry Pa, and either Ohio or Mich. I think Florida will go heavily for McCain. McCain's
Veep choice will not help him, but could hurt him. Obama has little choice. Jim Webb or The Governor of Ohio.

3. Both men are desperately trying to define each other. McCain saying Obama is Carter and Obama saying McCain is Bush. So far neither candidate looks like he is going to be pushed around by the other, and the rapid responses may actually get us debating issues and not the nonsense we see on cable (the latest being a tease on Faux News that Obama's new hand bump gimmick is a secret jihadist code).

4. McCain's move to do the town hall meetings is the smartest move of the campaign so far by either candidate. It is the only forum in which he does well, and the only forum in which Obama doesn't. Obama cannot say no to this concept, and he is going to have to lighten up a bit and be faster on his feet than he has been in other one one one encounters. The danger IMHO for McCain is that if these go deep into the camaign there is a greater chance that he will commit a gaffe out of fatigue, or his temper. The danger for Obama is to figure out a way to explain how he is going to pay for do all these wonderful things he is romising us without looking like an old time tax and spend Democrat. The blessing to all of us is that it will be McCain and Obama asking each other questions and taking questions from real people instead of all these self important media types.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!