Those Two

Here are a few key things we learned at Belmont Univ. last p.m.

-- Few debates, if any, match the hype. We've been reading for days about the near-certain Nashville Mash-Up. Didn't happen. Sound familiar?

-- A sharp divide apparently exists between McCain and Palin over whether to take the gloves off. Palin sees her road to victory paved w/Ayers, Wright and whatever else it takes to raise questions about Obama's character. McCain, a veteran of similar attacks in '00, is a reluctant warrior in this battle.

-- There's a mandatory set-aside in post-debate analysis for "theatrics," even when they don't warrant such coverage. One sure sign Belmont lacked real fireworks: the attention being showered on McCain's "that one" quip. Was it dismissive? As Biden said this a.m., "No."

-- The most dangerous place to stand during a debate, or even after it's over, is between the moderator and his tele-prompter. No one, we learned, is safe.

-- This race isn't over, and Obama hasn't won. In fact, despite a nearly ideal landscape, today's Hotline/Diageo tracking shows McCain now trails by just 1 pt, boosted by gains among men and energy-focused voters. Onto Hofstra ... and that "knock-down, drag-out game-changer" we're told it will be.