Second Presidential Debate: Polls and Opinions Overwhelmingly Favor "That One," Senator Obama, Over McCain

Anyone who watched the second presidential debate saw that Senator John McCain was in his element with the layout and format of the town hall style used. He was engaging, could move about and talk directly to people in a more one-to-one fashion. And he could occasionally, less formally than in a more structured debate, turn and say something vaguely to but more importantly about his rival directly.

And it was in those moments - the moments when he attacked Senator Barack Obama - that he lost the debate.

The Second Presidential Debate - Economics

Many political experts and analysts before the debate believed that the second presidential debate was a must-win debate for Senator McCain. McCain was slipping further behind in the polls. His running mate, Governor Sarah Palin, had become a liability. The economic crisis, something that most Americans believe to be the fault of the Bush administration, was impacting his poll numbers negatively as well.

But Senator McCain spoke in generalities laced with patriotic buzzwords and when a specific response was sometimes called for, such as when a questioner in the audience asked what specifically the bailout would do for Americans, Senator McCain's specifics were off topic. Senator McCain spent the entire allotted answer time talking about Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac and Senator Obama's involvement. At one point, he even told the questioner and the audience that they probably never heard of the two lending institutions before they failed, a statement that many political analysts later said seemed patronizing.

Walking around in the background while Senator Obama gave his answers made Senator McCain looked worried, edgy. Senator Obama was relaxed, would return to his seat when finished making his statements, smiled a lot (even when attacked), kept his eyes on Senator McCain, and leaned toward his opponent, using friendly body language. Senator McCain rarely looked at his Democratic rival, even when, while explaining an Obama vote for an energy bill, he dismissively referred to Senator Obama as "That one."