Getting Ready to Rumble

But Obama's aides go a step further, arguing that their candidate is a hopeless debater—a rare (and tactical) moment of talking down a presidential contender. "Many of us have made the joke that sometimes it takes him 60 seconds for him to clear his throat," Robert Gibbs, Obama's senior adviser, told reporters in Washington on Thursday. "There's no doubt that the way in which a normal primary and general election debate is structured is not his strong suit."

When reporters started joking about bringing out the violins, Gibbs insisted that the media agreed with his poor judgment of his own candidate. "I will e-mail you individually all your clips from the previous 22 primary debates," he said. "It's a rare thing where I agree with all my friends in the press corps. He tends to get a question, describe the problem, tell a story, give some solutions. You pray to God that isn't 45 seconds more than you've been allotted to speak." Of course after the showdown is held, expect the same triumphant pronouncements about Obama's consummate skills and ability to expose his opponent's weaknesses that the postdebate spin rooms during the primaries.

The uncertainty over McCain's plans isn't the only variable in the equation. Jim Lehrer of PBS, the debate moderator, has told both campaigns that the financial crisis will be part of the questioning, which was originally meant to focus solely on foreign policy. That suits both candidates, who have been cramming on the subject in between calls to Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and investors like Warren Buffett.

For their part, Obama's aides say they'll be ready—regardless of whether the Republican nominee decides to take part in the proceedings. "He's practicing his part in this," says Gibbs. "So we're prepared to take questions from Jim Lehrer with or without John McCain."

Given his long-winded responses, Obama could take advantage of the extra time to complete his answers.

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