David Yepsen at the Des Moines Register (he's highly respected and a big deal):
John McCain lost the final debate of the 2008 presidential campaign Wednesday night. As a result, he may well have lost the election, too....
McCain simply needed a breakout performance and he failed to provide one. He went into the forum trailing Obama in polls of the contest and he came out of in the same position. By doing so, McCain missed his biggest remaining opportunity to change the direction of the presidential contest....
Conservatives will love McCain’s dwelling on his pro-life, anti-abortion stance. Obama, who is pro-choice, tried to reach out to the anti-abortion community by calling for more adoption.
That exchange was telling: McCain seemed more focused on firing up his base of conservative supporters, while Obama was trying to reach beyond his.
At this point in a general-election campaign, a candidate should have his or her “base” locked up and be going after undecided voters.
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