John McCain heads into the debate as a decided underdog -- he and his campaign having had a rough couple of weeks. Add it up -- McCain's assertion that Rick Davis, his campaign manager, had severed his connections to Freddie Mac (only to have the New York Times prove the connection virtually the next day); the decision to "suspend" the campaign and not go to the debate; the decision not to suspend the campaign and go to the debate. McCain went to Washington to save the country, then did virtually nothing, and Harry Reid pretty much called him a nuisance. Plus, Sarah "On A Clear Day You Can See Siberia" Palin gave that sad performance in the Katie Couric interview, making it clear to all but the brain-dead that McCain made a terrible choice for a running mate; one almost feels sorry for Gov. Palin. Then McCain skipped out on Letterman and Letterman let him have it, and it's all over YouTube . . . . John McCain is the one who has something to prove tonight, not Obama. He has to prove he's still all there.

----

Glenn Kessler, president and CEO of HCD Research Inc. in New Jersey, has 2,000 people standing by tonight with cell phones and laptops so they can score the candidates, question by question, answer by answer, instantly. I spoke to Kessler Wednesday on Midday, after seeing a McClatchy story on his project. Kessler's company has hooked up with Muhlenberg College to conduct the survey tonight. They want to gather instant public opinion, before the Olbermanns and other talking heads tell viewers what they just heard. Kessler's firm will pay people to respond to text messages or pop-ups on their laptops. Each message asks voters to assess McCain's and Obama's responses to questions. You can follow this during the debate at the HCD web site, www.mediacurves.com