I’m biased. I support Barack Obama wholeheartedly. But I was ready for McCain to do better in the town hall format.

I was wrong.

John McCain did much WORSE in this format than last time. In the first debate I though the two were roughly tied, with an ever-so-slight advantage to Obama for beating expectations on foreign policy.

In this setting McCain looked aged, bitter and lost. When he said “That one” and pointed to Obama he showed his worst side. McCain cannot hide his contempt for Obama, just as he could not hide his disdain for Senators with whom he has disagreed.

Bill Bennett said it best: John McCain has an incredibly impressive biography. But his campaign has served him poorly, and this debate failed to lift McCain.

Once again, the polls are overwhelming. CNN has Obama winning the debate by 54-30, and scoring huge in several categories.

So, is this the clincher? Barring an external national security event, a major revelation or an atrocious error on Obama’s part, this campaign is over. And yes, I say that with full knowledge of the racial issues at work here. There are people who won’t vote for Obama because he’s black. I know some of these people. But they will not tell a pollster otherwise. They are already accounted for in the polling up to now.

Will the numbers narrow a bit? Yes. No way does Obama win by 9 points as Gallup has it today. But this debate went a long way toward solidifying voter support about Obama’s leadership abilities.