I hated watching last night's debate. Not because "Obama Lost" but rather than being inspired, as some political discourse can leave you (e.g. Bill Clinton's speeches at the last three DNCs for example), it left me the opposite of inspired -- without hope. Hopeless.

I imagine that the Republicans who had fought with the President behind closed doors know something about him that the rest of us don't. That when cornered, he turns into a bowl of jello. The hemming and hawing increase, and he starts saying idiotic things like "I suspect the Governor and I agree on this." While his mortal enemy is lying, he nods and smiles. Inside something bad is happening with the President, and it's visible on the outside.

So they paint him as an apologist. At first we think it's just talk for the Repub base, but they know that come the debate they are going to be able to get the President to appear to apologize. All that being so agreeable, maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome. And the Republicans are going to keep pushing him. Romney is not inept like McCain, who Obama aced. Nor is he Hillary Clinton, with whom Obama managed pouty sort of dominance.

Romney is going to bully the President, and it's up to the President to grow a pair and bully back. We learned something I didn't want to know last night. And we'll learn something else at the next debate, whether the President has friends who will kick his butt.

And btw, maybe John Kerry wasn't the best person to use as a stand-in for Romney. I wish Coach Walsh was alive to help out here (though I suspect he was a Republican). Maybe Bill Clinton would be a good coach for Obama? Just throwing things out there.