Joe the Senator

Last night’s debate was a more spirited affair than the previous two. Watching Sens. McCain and Obama interact more directly made for better political theater and allowed McCain to land more punches than Obama.

McCain’s pushback on Obama on issue after issue — John Lewis, negative ads, Obama’s resistance to having 10 town hall meetings, William Ayers, trade with Colombia, judicial appointments and the bipartisan “Gang of 14,” — allowed McCain to score some much-needed points.

If the debate was not the game-changer many say McCain needed — and presidential debates may crystallize voters’ impressions, but rarely are they game-changers — then as McCain tries to push forward, he will need for the Obama campaign to make a mistake, or mistakes, to capitalize on.

That’s where Joe comes in. No, not Joe the Plumber, but the most gaffe-prone politician in America, Joe the senator.

Let’s go to the tape!

After months of the Obama campaign attempting to make McCain and President Bush inseparable, Joe Biden does a 180 on the campaign’s most important message, telling “The Today Show,” “Obviously, John’s not George Bush.”

When an Ohio plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher, has come to represent the economic uncertainties we face — being invoked by both candidates 26 times — what does Joe Biden tell America? “I don’t have any Joe the Plumbers in my neighborhood.”

(Of course, we do know that Joe the senator has lots of 7-Elevens and Dunkin’ Donuts in his neighborhood.)

After the debate — following Obama’s smart and necessary warning not to get cocky, what does Joe the senator tell supporters? “I’m going home to polish my golf game up.”

Maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Whether or not he has any Joe the Plumbers in his neighborhood, if Joe the senator goes home to polish up his golf game, he won’t run the risk of refuting his campaign’s central message, insulting voters or making any of his other embarrassing gaffes.