I didn’t pay as much attention to the debate today. Usually, I invite several friends over for the debate, and it’s very rowdy. Today, it was very quiet. I also have an essay hanging over my head.

Did anyone else get this sense of strange cognitive dissonance while listening to McCain on foreign policy. I mean, he was saying things that I thought made some sense. He sounded very pragmatic, at times. He noted that he knew when to send people in harm’s way and when to show restraint. Yet all of that is belied by the big fat counterexample of Iraq. Not only was McCain wrong, but he was disastrously wrong. He never thought it would be difficult. He believed Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” banner. He would say things that were right, but all the while, I was shouting “bullshit” in my head. Undoubtedly, I would’ve said it aloud if there were more people over.