Chutzpah

"You know the type:

loud as a motorbike, 

but wouldn't bust a grape in a fruit fight."

-Jay-Z, "99 Problems"

In the debate on Tuesday, what caught my attention (along McCain calling Obama "that one") was one of the times when Obama, in one of the nebulous "follow-up" question-and-answers from a visibly tired Tom Brokaw (this is like MJ returning to the Wizards, only with someone starting from a place of less excellence), took the opportunity to directly take it to John McCain.   Wow, I thought,  the nerve it must take to be 10 feet away from someone and just lay into them.   

Now, McCain did attack Obama on the debate stage, but something about Obama's resonated more: some combination of more directly addressing McCain, having them be issue-based, and having his attacks correspond with the "comparison" (i.e. negative) ads up on TV.  McCain's campaign, on the other hand, was in the larvae stages of Hate '08 on the trail, but the Ayers/terrorist/"Hussein" attacks were nowhere to be seen at the debate.  

Given the opportunity to integrate his debate performance with his campaign message, McCain passed, but the past few days, they've been at their old games.  Obama rightfully calls him on it when asked by Charlie Gibson:

If you're going to rabble-rouse, at least do it to the guy's face.