TUSCALOOSA | While most "snap polls" seem to suggest that Democratic president nominee Sen. Barack Obama "won" his debate with Republican counterpart Sen. John McCain last night, all the buzz is about why McCain refused to make eye contact with Obama.
Was he being condescending? Was he afraid his legendary temper would get the better of him if he looked at Obama as he was telling him he was wrong, wrong, wrong about the war in Iraq? Was he just afraid of looking into Obama's cool, black eyes?
I even saw a on a post on a website this morning from a guy who studies monkeys who said that in primate hierarchy, moneys of lower status never make eye contact with their superiors. But, of course, we are not talking about moneys here; we are talking about two United States Senators, one of whom will become the most powerful man in the world in less than 40 days.
Me, I think McCain's refusal to look at his opponent, even as moderator Jim Lehrer tried to facilitate a normal back-and-forth conversation between the two men, is just his style. Many people pointed out that he made little contact with his opponents during the series of Republican primary debates earlier this year. Then again, I also remember McCain staring down George W. Bush in a debate in South Carolina in 2000 after Karl Rove slimmed him and he demanded Bush be held to account. And, yes, he was angry. Very angry.
And oh yeah, what was all that incessant blinking about? Morse code to his base, perhaps?
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