Live Blogging the Debate

Click through for a running commentary on tonight's showdown. And please weigh in with your own opinions!

8:10PM I'm signing off and heading to the bar. Thanks for reading everyone. Keep the conversation going in the comments section.

8:08PM Final thoughts: Pretty dull stuff all around.

I'm giving it to Obama. In a constrained format like this, both men come across as "presidential." Obviously by now they've got their policies and opinions down. They know how to talk to regular people.

But McCain seemed a little bit more on edge. With his poll numbers sinking he had more to prove... and he knew it, and Obama knew it, and the audience knew it. That put McCain at a distinct disadvantage that he simply didn't overcome. He needed a knockout punch, a big issue that he could own, and there wasn't one. Not even foreign policy. Obama nailed him on the war and on national security.

At this late stage of the game, Obama is just too calm, cool and collected. He's got the momentum so he can afford to soberly talk to the issues and not worry about attacking the other guy too much. That's a huge plus in politics. And this time he was ready to swat down all the slings and arrows that McCain threw his way.

So Obama wins two in a row and there's no reason to think he won't win the third (so that means we can cancel the final debate, right?).

7:41PM Not much of a "town hall" was it? Just a standard debate, awfully similar to the last one.

No big moments, no gotcha answers, no surprises. Both men were comfortable and on point, though I'd say it took longer for McCain to warm up. McCain was definitely doing most of the finger-pointing, and Obama was ready for it. After the tenor of McCain's campaign this week I expected more fireworks but it was pretty civil. Boring, even. The gloves may be off on the trail but in Nashville things remained pretty restrained.

7:35PM Finally over. Yawn.

7:33PM Both of them are spouting their stump speech here.

7:33PM McCain's answer's no better. "What I don't know is what the unexpected will be"???? Did George W. write that for you? I guess the question's pretty lame to begin with.

7:31PM Obama punts on that question. Come on, Barack. Weak sauce. McCain's lucky on this one because he has time to think about his answer.

7:30PM "What don't you know? And how will you learn it?"

7:29PM Last question. Wooohooo.

7:27PM Here we go with the "preconditions" thing again. Kill me now. Townhall or not, this is turning into a re-run of the last debate.

7:25PM McCain shakes the hand of a Navy man.

7:24PM Is Russia an evil empire? "Maybe," says McCain. Solid answer on the whole. Looks like he's finally loosening up.

7:22PM Something about Russia.

7:22PM What'd I miss?

Who's idea was it to make ice cream out of nuts anyway? Genius. May I recommend Ben&Jerry's pistachio.

7:19PM Bathroom and ice cream break. Is this thing over yet?

7:19PM I have to give Brokaw credit for working hard to keep these guys in line when it comes to time limits. It's not really happening but he's sure trying.

7:17PM "I'll be very brief." Sure you will, Barack. Boy he really can talk.

7:16PM Boy I never thought I'd say this but Obama wins on the terrorism question. "That's not talking softly!" McCain very much on the defensive.

7:12PM Is McCain really still hammering Obama's year-old Pakistan comment?

7:11PM "We will kill bin Laden, we will crush Al Qaeda. That should be our top priority." Huge stuff by Obama. He's ready on the national security issue.

7:09PM Whew Katie Hamm is nervous.

7:07PM McCain shouldn't have to attack Obama over the Iraq War. He should be able to talk about it on its own.

7:04PM Obama sneaks in another Bush mention and ties McCain to his war policy.

7:03PM Obama comes out swinging on the Iraq War. He's much more on the offensive in this debate. A worthy response, loaded with details on why the war was a mistake. Hard to argue with ten billion dollars a month.

7:01PM McCain's been waiting for this. A military question. He's on it. Touting his record, his judgment. A strong answer. Shockingly doesn't mention Vietnam.

7:00PM Obama comes off as very passionate about health care. His plan sounds as pie-in-the sky as McCain's, but I'll give Obama the edge on this issue.

6:57PM Finally we get something personal. Obama invokes his mother dying of cancer, yet having to argue with insurance companies. Good stuff.

6:56PM I'm thinking about having some ice cream. Ben&Jerry's pistachio.

6:55PM Both strong answers on health care. Both full of crap.

6:53PM He said 'fundamental'!

6:52PM Lotta finger pointing and recriminations on both sides. Neither comes off well when they do that.

6:51PM So far this debate is even more boring than the last one. Do we really have to sit through a third one?

6:49PM McCain is creepy when he puts on that playful voice. "You know who voted for it? That one." Very forced.

6:48PM I guess both candidates are going over their allotted time. Brokaw scolds.

6:48PM Obama trumps McCain on the energy question. Big time.

6:46PM McCain stumbles over nuclear power. Looked like he was about to accuse Obama... but then backed off. His answer to the environmental question was a lot of generalities and platitudes.

6:43PM The audience looks like they're snoozin' out there.

6:42PM About the tenth time McCain has started a sentence with "I've taken on...". Underscores his experience, his strongest attribute.

6:40PM Obama with an earnest, effective comeback about his tax plan. Still, he's on the defensive here.

6:38PM McCain hammering Obama on taxes, and doing a good job of it. He looked Obama in the eye again! "The news is bad." Big moment for McCain and Obama knows it. He tries to respond but gets shot down by Brokaw.

6:35PM "The president has to set a tone" about sacrifice. Obama very strong on this.

6:33PM Obama gets to the gist of Fiorra's question about sacrifice. Energy conservation, doubling the peace corps, getting young people more active. "That's gonna require effort by each and every one of us."

6:31PM Obama: "A lot of Americans remember 9/11." Ya think?

6:31PM Lame shot by McCain on Obama's prioritizing.

6:30PM Fiorra in Chicago asks about sacrifice. Excellent question. McCain's response is about government spending. I don't think that's what Fiorra is asking.

6:27PM Obama invokes JFK.

6:26PM Great, confident answer by McCain on how "America can do it all" when it comes to dealing with energy, health care and national security all at once.

6:22PM McCain surprisingly good at speaking directly to the voters. (Obama we know is good at it.) No wonder he was pushing for more townhall meetings.

6:21PM First mention of George Bush by Obama. "Senator McCain voted for 4 out of 5 out of those George Bush budgets." Ouch.

6:18PM This is a tasty burger.

6:18PM Neither will answer the question whether the economy will get worse before it gets better. Probably smart. Nobody wants to hear a candidate predict more doom and gloom.

6:17PM McCain's scribbling away.

6:16PM Pretty wonky answer by Obama on the Fannie/Freddie accusation. He seems to know that kind of thing isn't effective for regular voters.

6:15PM They're both taking credit for seeing the housing crisis coming. I'm not buying it from either of them.

6:13PM McCain's still hammering that 'suspension' of his economy. Not sure how smart that is.

6:11PM He said fundamental! Drink.

6:08PM All this walking around might benefit Obama. McCain's a little stiff. But he's well prepared with his economy answer. Repeating a lot from his stump speech this week.

6:06PM Right off the bat with the economy. Obama is earnest as ever. Very up to date with the AIG comment.

6:05PM Where the hell is McCain's flag pin?? I knew Obama loved America more. I hope Barack's pin wasn't made in China.

6:03PM McCain made a point of looking Obama in the eye this time.

6:02PM Tom Brokaw is sounding more and more like Harry Shearer's impersonation of Tom Brokaw.

6:01PM Let's do this. I'm watching NBC, only because it's the channel my TV was already on.

5:52PM If you're wondering what's up with the time stamp, I'm on the west coast. The joke is that if you're playing a drinking game, a big buzz word is "maverick." But according to Politico the two candidates used the term "fundamental" 14 times in the last debate. Cheers.

5:45PM My first ever live blog! I'm as nervous as a school girl. Just getting my dinner together (a burger and beer; how's that for all-American?). Be back at the top of the hour.