Two Men Enter, One Man Leave?

8:53 p.m. -- We're live at the Save Fitchburg Mansion, ready for this little meeting, the second of three between Obama and McCain. Sounds like the storyline leading into tonight is "How nasty?" The ill will has built quite a bit in the last week, and there's a chance it might bubble up tonight. It would be kind of surprising, considering the format and the room. The audience is very close to the candidates, and the atmosphere is fairly intimate. Attacks will be magnified if they come tonight. Will it happen? Who knows.

We're likely watching on CNN, if for no other reason than force of habit, and I've found it to be hilarious to watch the stupid pie-chart graphic thing their poor analysts are forced to do. We're less than 10 minutes from game time. Grab a beverage and a snack, and get ready.

9:01 -- I'm gonna kick your ass. No, I'm gonna kick your ass. That handshake had all the warmth of my car this morning.

9:03 -- Is it just me, or does Barack Obama have two microphones? One on his coat, one in his hands. Is that necessary?

9:07 -- This is clearly the best stage for McCain. I though for a second there he was going to climb into old Alan's lap, but he's certainly more energized than last go-around.

9:09 -- For some reason, I didn't grab a beer before I sat down. If you have one, have a sip at every "my friend(s)." That's my advice.

9:10 -- Meg Whitman and Warren Buffet for treasury. Huh. McCain clearly loves Whitman, the former CEO or something of eBay. Buffet? Seems unlikely. I'm a bit surprised both mentioned an actual name here, though. Pleasantly surprised.

9:12 -- While we're establishing the drinking game rules, finish your beverage when "Wall Street" and "Main Street" are in the same sentence. While I'm here, McCain should probably stop mentioning the whole "I suspended my campaign" stuff. That one, um, didn't work.

9:14 -- At least Obama answered Oliver's question about what the bailout -- sorry, rescue -- plan does for most people. And of course, he has to flip it into "no, no, no, Republicans bad." Can we just all agree here that they're all to blame and move on?

9:18 -- Mrs. Save Fitchburg chimes in for the first time "They can't help themselves," as McCain lights into Obama again on the bailout and whatnot. She's right. They really can't. Mrs. Save Fitchburg is so smart.

9:20 -- "Nobody's completely innocent here," sayeth Obama, but George Bush is really, really craptacular. Mrs. SF strikes again.

9:22 -- It's time for a stupid CNN "analyst scorecard" update. We'll add up the plusses and minuses, and give a score: Plus-3 for McCain, plus-24 for Obama. I have no idea what that means, really.

9:23 -- Fitchburg's future, I wanna watch the next debate with you. Maverick! indeed. Unfortunately, Palin's done on the debate stage.

9:25 -- McCain mentions his good friend Joe Lieberman, who takes that opportunity to curse McCain for picking Palin. So close, Joe. So close.

9:26 -- Oooh. Good prep work by the Obama campaign to drop him today's gas price. Either that or the candidate noticed as he was being driven around town today. Or not. I'm betting on the not. Yeesh.

9:27 -- Obama rolls out the horrible "go through the budget line by line" poopie that is just so unbelievable. The dude's got a nerve. And he says he's going to find programs that don't work. Shouldn't he have a specific or two at this point?

A 78-year-old on the Internet? Right on.

9:29 -- Mrs. Save Fitchburg doesn't like aimless talk about going through the budget. I told you she was very smart. Pretty, too.

9:30 -- We're at the one-third pole, and this has been relatively boring. No new ground, and no sniping. Certainly not the nuclear attack from McCain some were predicting. We've still got an hour, but so far, so bland.

9:31 -- Obama: "A lot of you remember the tragedy of 9/11." "A lot?" I think a few more than that, there Barack.

9:35 -- Where do you think Mitt Romney is watching tonight? And how pissed is he? Suddenly, this campaign is about the economy, and he's the bestest businessman there every was. And what's he doing? Uh, I actually don't have an answer to that question right now. But if the sentence includes "2012," it's probably accurate.

9:37 -- Whoa, did McCain just drop news on the doubling of the kid deduction? I don't think that came up at the last debate. And I'm not sure about this, but I think I'm better off the way things are now, paying my health care through work and not paying taxes on it. Just saying.

9:38 -- "I think the Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one." And there's the worst line of the night. Take a bow, Barack Obama.

9:41 -- McCain says fixing Social Security isn't that tough. I think I'll disagree on that one, thanks. Two "my friends" so far in this answer. Someone take Fitchburg's Future's keys away.

9:42 -- Another "my friends." Fitchburg Future is calling into work tomorrow.

9:43 -- What's a green job? Time for a useless CNN "Analyst Scorecard" update. McCain, still plus-4. Obama, plus-42. Wha? This debate is so mediocre and even right now, it's ridiculous. Yet CNN has Obama up 38 points? Ugh. It pisses me off that "the media" gets lumped together too much, without any thought or depth, and unfairly. But it's stupid crap like this that makes me wonder.

9:46 -- I'll admit, I'm intrigued by nuclear power. Has the technology gotten better since Three Mile Island, or is the old Seabrook scare factor too much to overcome? Is there someone, somewhere, who can discuss this logically and with some intelligence? Or it just a bad, bad idea?

9:47 -- Brokaw is pissing me off. If they're going over time, he needs to cut them off. He needs to stop this passive-aggressive stuff. Although I like the "Manhattan Project-like" nuclear power question.

9:51 -- A slight tangent: In all this health insurance talk, no one says "hey, look at Massachusetts." I wouldn't expect it from McCain. Maybe it's one of Obama's little secrets. That said, the missed story of the week: The Globe's story on how ER visits are still pumping, even with so many more people insured. This was supposed to lower the costly ER visits, and so far, not so good. Great story that I didn't pay enough attention to.

9:53 -- Here's one thing for sure: These guys have different ideas, different philosophies, and different plans for what to do. There's no "these guys are pretty close. I don't know." McCain is on his insurance plan again. Someone needs to tell me if I win in this or not. I keep reading I wouldn't, but I haven't been sold.

9:55 -- Doing the math in my head, there's no way McCain's plan is good for me. I pay a sizable chunk of my health care, and that $5,000 deduction is worth what, like $1,700? It would be a loss for me, I think.

9:58 -- I know what you're thinking: "This health care talk is a waste of time, because it's too damn to fix." I'd agree with you, gentle sir/madam.

10:01 -- Time to put the hammer down. Three drinks per "surge."

10:02 -- Here's a question that won't get asked tonight: What's our responsibility in Iraq? Leave when everything is ironed out? Leave when they're well on their way? Leave now and let the dice fall where they may? How much is our long-term staying there guilt for ripping that place apart? I think McCain will talk about "victory" soon, but what's "victory?" Al queda was never there, and Hussein is gone. We've won already, in some aspects. Is the equivilent of a two-point a win a "victory," or do we have to win by 20? This is some fundamental stuff that seems to get lost in the rhetoric.

10:07 -- Hey, kids, what time is it? CNN "Analyst Scorecard" time. Yea! McCain: plus-11. Obama, plus-60. I'd say this thing is making me stupider, but I'm still able to the maths in my head, so maybe not.

10:09 -- Do I want to be the "F section?" This is broadcast TV, right?

10:11 -- For the second debate in a row, Obama said we will "kill" Bin Laden. Not "get him," or "capture him," or "hunt him down." "Kill." That doesn't seem very, how do you say, presidential.

10:16 -- We've got 14ish minutes left, and it hasn't gotten ugly yet. They both clearly feel the other is wrong on Iraq/Afghanistan/Pakistan, but it's been more slap-fight than bomb-throwing tonight.

10:17 -- Barack Obama is an international name-dropper. Elitist swine.

10:24 -- One more CNN "Analyst Scorecard" count. Because you're wondering. McCain: plus-18. Obama: plus-59. I still don't know what that means, but I do know Obama wasn't three times better tonight.

10:24 -- Obama doesn't want to call Russia an "Evil Empire." McCain says "maybe." That's diplomatic. However, the right answer is everyone knows the Evil Empire is in The Bronx.

10:25 -- I thought McCain might hug Terry the former Naval officer. Instead he gave him a pat on the shoulder. Just one more disappointment tonight.

10:26 -- What's the highlight tonight? What's the clip everyone is going to show tonight and tomorrow? I admit I'm dog-ass tired, and my attention was divided between TV and keyboard, but there's not a good one that comes to mind. Anyone?

10:28 -- In the unasked questions category: How much money have you lost in your investments in the last three weeks? I'd love to know.

10:30 -- This last question sucks, and will lead to non-answers. Enjoy.

10:34 -- McCain's closing is very, very good.

10:35 -- At least on CNN, I missed McCain and Obama shaking hands because of a lousy camera angle. In the end, much of the same from a few weeks ago, no real big winner. Big loser? Brokaw. He stunk. Good night, Fitchburg.