– On the other hand, classy is as classy does.

– As of a few minutes ago: Optimism growing within McCain camp.

– How are things looking at 10:00 pm the night before? Hard to say, but take a look at Zogby’s final electoral college prediction prior to the 2004 election: Kerry 311, Bush 213. So you know what that means … GET OUT THE VOTE, TAKE SOME TIME OFF WORK, SHOW UP AT A PRECINCT AND HAND OUT SAMPLE BALLOTS …. LET’S SHOW UP IN FORCE TOMORROW!

– That Joe Biden pick was a stroke of genius, friends. A sure sign of management expertise worthy of the office of president.

– Five reason Obama lost this election. I’m not exactly poised for chest-thumping but they make some good points.

– The PUMA effect, spelled out.

– Obama’s ever evolving positions (video worth spreading around).

– Networks may call the election before voting is complete. Ya’ think?!! Wouldn’t that be a shocker. I predict the mainstream media will begin calling it over before the sun sets in the east.

– To reiterate, get out and vote, no matter what the media are saying at 6:00 pm.

Elsewhere on the same page, the Time/CNN poll has Obama 55%, McCain 43%. So you need to choose whom you believe.

Or like RCP just average them together, which lends an air of credence possibly not deserved to whichever is wrong. But what the hey. As Karl Rove said, there’s a lot of polls out there nowadays.

I have labeled the the left side of my front yard as Obama territory and the right side McCain, and I can tell you there is far more squirrel nut-burying activity on the right side – something like 58% to Obama’s 39%. Average that poll in with the other two and McCain has pulled ahead of Obama for the first time since late September. To me this indicates the undecideds breaking for McCain, which has to be the Obama campaign’s chief concern right now.

But here is what is most interesting: Even with the ungodly advantage in advertising in all forms he has been doing, Obama not only cannot close the deal but may be losing ground as time goes on. Americans are getting to know Barack Obama better, and not liking what they see.

As the Dems for McCain crowd has opined, there are some lingering bad feelings about the Obama campaign’s tactics in the primaries, and paybacks can be hell.

Or maybe all those Democrats who happen to own or work for small businesses are getting wind of Obama’s tax hikes for over a million small companies which might just be the beginning.

Whatever the reason, this is great news.

The Obama campaign held a “20 point lead in terms of enthusiasm” when the survey was taken, but I am going out on a ledge to predict that is about to change.

“Who is the real Barack Obama?” indeed. He’s the guy who peaked on October 1 on a message spun of gossamer threads.

Where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he’s above all that.

All ye who have been weak of heart – ye conservatives and regular folks and middle of the road Americans – who have watched in horror as your country launches itself over a cliff with the momentum of the mindless Obama cult of personality: Be strong. Though you have felt increasingly powerless and starved for rationality, John McCain is here and he is serving red meat.

The gloves are off. And John McCain needs to bring them to the debate tomorrow, for slapping purposes. The gauntlet is now thrown down: We won’t let Barack Obama hoodwink America.

- A commenter during Ace’s live blog (which was hysterical, by the way – go here and click “Replay,” and click each new link to read through to the end, it is well worth it) noted the pall cast over CNN’s expert commentators is a sign McCain thrashed Obama. Great point, they looked like they just had a death in the family. David Gergen could barely get his words out.

- My wife just noted: “That’s how they looked after Palin’s speech.”

- Obama could not name a single thing he would cut from his plans in light of our financial tightening – except for his energy independence initiative, which incidentally he had just said is the number one thing he would NOT cut.

- McCain, in my view (imagining I’m an independent swing voter), did not clean the floor with Obama. He did not get a knockout punch. But he did sort of dust the blinds with him. Obama was on defense the entire time.

- McCain’s biggest accomplishment: He was the Dad. Obama was the college junior holding forth about how the world really works.

- Obama looked sort of “presidential,” which was something he had to do, except when he was showing his frustration and interrupting McCain which was back to college junior.

- I thought McCain did pretty well on the economy part of the debate, he underplayed his true role in attempting the reform Fannie and Freddie five years ago. In the next debates he should list more specifics.

- I think there are a ton of domestic issues that McCain can clobber Obama with. Lots of time to practice.

- McCain is going to be energized by this. Obama not so much – I predict lots of defensive spin from the Democrats tomorrow. Less so from McCain’s camp.

UPDATE: CNN just showed a group of “McCain supporters” and they are jubilant. We have yet to see an Obama supporter who doesn’t look like they just swallowed something terrible.

UPDATE II: David Gergen would make a good funeral director. He’s got the look down.

UPDATE III: CNN announced within 10 minutes of the end the results of their CNN/Opinion Research poll which had Obama winning the debate in a landslide. How do they do that so quickly, have a thousand people making three phone calls each, or 10 people making three calls each? I think the latter.

UPDATE IV: Hey, anyone with access to an ear in the McCain campaign: Go read that live blog. Some good advice there, seriously.

UPDATE V: Others commenting: Bulletproof Monk. Bearing Drift. Spank That Donkey. Captain Ed.

That, and the fact Obama supposedly is going to have a much better ground game on November 4, and the Democrats have a huge head start in the critical vote fraud effort, means the status quo is a loss for John McCain.

McCain needs to dramatically break through the mainstream media filter with 1) strong, clear messages that will resonate with viewers and 2) at least one bone-jarring attack on Barack Obama that causes Obama to completely tweak.

In McCain’s favor are the facts that he is right about more issues than Obama and he is a better extemporaneous speaker. Off the cuff, Obama has a history of letting slip what he really thinks, which often, rightfully, comes off as highly repugnant to many Americans. He also has proven himself thin-skinned and easily rattled.

So McCain needs to hit on some topics that reveal the cracks in Obama’s facade. My suggestions are some inconvenient truths such as the following:

- The Annenberg-Ayers connection and general fact that the Obamas like people who hate America;

- The fact that Obama, despite his rhetoric, pays his female employees worse than either McCain or Hillary Clinton did;

- Obama’s abysmal record on Second Amendment issues;

- Any of Obama’s lies – here’s a set of them, and here are some more;

- Or any of the “Chicago machine” stuff, because of all the swipes “typical politician” seems to be one that cuts to the bone, probably because it is both extremely true and extremely ruinous to his carefully constructed persona.

I think any of these truths, clearly and calmly explained by McCain, will get Obama twitching, and one major instance of this in front of 40 million viewers will be the end of his viability as a candidate.

That’s not to say McCain can’t win the thing just by making the case for himself. He can be very persuasive and sincere when speaking off the cuff, and as at the Saddleback Church forum, this contrasts very favorably with Obama’s tendency to stumble for words and generally show muddled thinking.

But it does not seem like a very safe tactic to assume Obama is going to make himself look bad, and besides it would be better style to at least try and rattle him a few times – people love to see clay feet revealed, and this is one juicy target.

First, Bill Clinton on John McCain and the rationality of voting by gender:

Next, Bill Clinton talks about Sarah Palin:

For John McCain, that means the issue which still remains a stickler for much of his constituency is live, and in the past couple days it has become very, very live. Friends, I hate to have to say this, but I think we need to kill it until after the election.

John McCain’s 800-pound gorilla is his record as a boastful supporter of amnesty for illegal aliens. He wrote the “comprehensive reform” bill which was voted down in 2006 and was a supporter of its successor in 2007.

Believe me, I hated McCain for that, and I wanted Tom Tancredo to get the Republican nomination for president. Problem is, Tancredo got 1 percent of the vote in the primaries and McCain won the nomination. McCain has said he “got the message” and will pursue border security prior to comprehensive reform.

On the other side of the fence right now, as I write, is Barack Obama, the Democrat candidate who promises amnesty without strings attached.

Who you gonna choose?

With the news that McCain seems to be courting Hispanics by possibly whispering a promise of amnesty, people are starting to get pissed, and understandably so.

Our good friend Blog Fu indicates he may choose none of the above. Mark Krikorian and Mickey Kaus profess to believe McCain would be more likely to actually get amnesty passed than would Obama.

Ann Coulter suggests the difference between McCain and Obama is “between a 10% chance and a 9.99999% chance.”

I agree with Ann.

Let’s be realistic, amigos y amigas. We are not choosing between John McCain and Tom Tancredo. We are not choosing between John McCain and Duncan Hunter. We are choosing between the guy who won a LOT more than 1 percent of the vote, and Barack Frickin’ Hussein “Weatherman” Obama. Those are the only choices. Failing to vote, or voting for some other party, are merely indirect means of making a choice between those two. Obama’s supporters are going to vote for Obama. If you don’t vote for McCain, you are helping Obama. You may be standing on principle, and that is your right, but here on planet Earth you also would be helping Obama. So you need to look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Do I want to help put Barack Obama in the White House?”

Why shouldn’t you want to put Barack Obama in the White House?

I hope you don’t really have to ask that question. I hope I can just say “Jimmy Carter” and you will snap to your senses. I sincerely hope you know enough about Barack Obama to know he brings absolutely nothing to the table but a velvety voice and an image, he is an out-and-out liar and that all his talk about being post-partisan and post-racial is a load of crap. He is as partisan and racial as they come. He has flipped on every significant policy position that he used to defeat Hillary Clinton in the primaries. More here and here.

And, when we consider the role of the president in immigration enforcement, let’s remember we are not choosing a successor to President Tancredo. We are choosing a successor to President Bush, who would have gladly signed any amnesty legislation that made it to his desk. Recall that it was the Bush administration that declared war on the Border Patrol.

Need a reminder? Take a trip down memory lane with Bush’s buddy Johnny Sutton: for instance here, on Lou Dobbs where U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton twice uses the term “hilarious” to describe the trial of Ramos and Compean – confirming Sutton as a prep-school, lightweight twit who sent two U.S. agents to 10+ year prison terms.

THAT is the regime we are seeking to replace. To state the obvious: The bar is not very high.

If our major concern is immigration enforcement, 1) we should kick ourselves for not doing more for Tom Tancredo, and 2) we must remember that we can continue to fight to defeat attempts at amnesty and we have a successful track record. Also, 3) we will definitely have to continue that fight in Congress no matter who our next president is.

It is important to bear in mind that our next president will have the power to impact our lives and America’s future on issues other than illegal immigration. And let’s not kid ourselves: There are other issues. The war, for instance. The economy. Energy policy. Freedom of speech is a big one for me.

How about the right to bear arms? If both candidates are inclined to continue to allow the flow of illegals into our neighborhoods, which candidate is also inclined to allow us to procure guns and ammunition to blast the hell out of the bad guys when they attempt to break into our homes? Do we want another Clinton gun ban or worse?

Hear me now, fellow immigration enforcement activists: We failed pretty spectacularly by not communicating our message well enough to get either Tom Tancredo or Duncan Hunter over the 1 percent level. Over 70 percent of the American people had said they wanted an “enforcement first” solution to illegal immigration, so our effort fell short by over 69 percent in the primaries, leaving us with a worse and worser choice in November. But when other issues and policies are brought into the field of consideration, there really is no difficult choice. We all live in a world where many issues affect our lives and our children’s lives, and it makes no sense to act on a single-issue basis in a way that would facilitate the second term of Jimmy Carter. John McCain is the person we want for president.

I’m sure the illegal immigration issue will come up in the debates and the discussion will be perhaps entertaining but ultimately – as we all know – totally meaningless. Among ourselves, we know whatever these guys say will be BS. But there are other considerations, to say the least. Let’s keep our powder dry until after the election and then make the battle as heated as it’s ever been.

Cole says that because John McCain is able to talk on a cell phone as demonstrated in this photo, McCain should also be able to work on a computer – supposedly contradicting the fact that this ad is unjustified.

The reason McCain cannot personally do e-mail is because his fingers were broken while he was a POW. He doesn’t type. He also can’t raise his arms very high because his arms were also broken. That’s not to say he can’t raise his forearm high enough to hold a cell phone to his ear. Sheesh. Expected better from you, Latina.

… This has had the effect of converting a good many Clinton supporters and women of all stripes into populists of their own, now convinced that the media is out to get them, too. On the heels of sexist critiques of Clinton during the primaries, the perception that the press has gone after Palin has only cemented these impressions. Thus, it should be no surprise if large numbers of working-class women are thinking about joining forces with all those Republican populists who long ago decided that the overriding enemy in the culture is the mainstream media.

MSNBC has put the GOP in position to form a rather formidable coalition. Unfortunately for the Democrats, if it does assemble, it will do so on the other side of the aisle. MSNBC may be a relative commercial success. But for the Democrats this year, that network’s devotion to Obama — again, through no fault of his — has the potential to turn into an electoral disaster.

That is, if the Obama campaign has not searched out and destroyed every last copy of the Flash file from every computer on the face of the Earth before we all get a chance to burn a DVD so our grandparents can watch it.

If you ever wondered what it looks like when the wheels fall off a political campaign, here is a case study at the national level.

UPDATE: I should note this is a source of particular enjoyment for your humble narrator because the place where I spend the vast majority of my time, aka “the day job,” involves an entire industry in which less than half the owners and top managers are “online” to any appreciable degree. But, you know, who cares about what thousands and thousands of people over the age of 60 think when you have an ad that so deftly mind melds with the MySpace crowd, because we all know which demographic votes in overwhelmingly larger percentages.

UPDATE II: New theme for the next 52 days: “Barack Obama is a moron and utterly unqualified to be president of a fantasy football league.” Day 1.

More great photos from a friend of NVTH below the fold.

And I just read somewhere that McCain’s next advertisement will be on the topic that Sarah Palin is better qualified for the presidency than Barack Obama (look for it to show up here, first).

Heads will be exploding, I promise you.