The debate opens, predictably enough, with a discussion of the bailout plan. Neither candidate makes a particularly definitive stand -- not too suprising given that the final details of the bill have yet to be determined -- but at least Obama is making some sense, and going right to the root cause of the financial crisis with his discussion of deregulation. John McCain, on the other hand, is changing the narrative of what happened in somewhat crazy ways-- "It was the House Republicans who decided they would be part of the solution to this problem" -- and somehow tying the financial crisis into Ike Eisenhower and World War II in order to make an argument about accountability. But after 26 years in Washington, is McCain going to be held accountable for helping create the regulatory system that led to the current economic crisis?
-- Tim Fernholz P.S. Is Jim Lehrer's attitude towards the candidates addresing each other charming or weird?
