The debates are over and the winner is . . .

America. Seriously, while I don't think we've really delved all that deep into their policies, given the tendency of both candidates to hammer home key talking points on taxes, the environment, the war, health care and the economy.

All told, though, we have an idea about these two guys that we wouldn't have otherwise had. Most of us don't get to a political rally. Most of us only hear from these fellows in their ads and that usually only at the end "I'm [John McCain/Barack Obama] and I approve this message." Even as mediated an experience as this was (as we are not in the room with these guys, we have to rely on the camera angles and cuts, the lighting and the quality of the sound system to help us understand what is happening), we still saw more than we may otherwise ever see. This is certainly true of the loser of Nov. 4. At what other time are you going to see over 2 hours of one of these guys again (unless you are a C-SPAN junkie)?

We know that John McCain seems like an angry guy. "Seems" is operative, though, as we must recall Al Gore's robot impersonation from 2000. John McCain may be a barrel of laughs, but you wouldn't know it from these debates.

Conversely, Barack Obama seems like a pretty chill guy, able to take whatever someone's dishing out without getting too rattled. Is he overly smart? Some people might feel that. Keep in mind, "smart" people aren't always right, after all. (Socrates made mincemeat out of such as these in the agora back in Athens, right?)

We also saw that McCain probably is a fighter. Heck, he was fighting while he was sitting at the table next to Obama. That can be a crucial quality in a scrap.

Obama is a diplomat, always trying to see how he can bring the two sides together.

While part of me loves the fighter (who doesn't like a good scuffle every now and then), the adult in me (the one with three kids who fight too much anyway and a lovely wife with whom keeping the best of relations is always to be desired) appreciates the diplomat. At this point in our history, too, I'd have to say that it is the diplomat who I belive is most direly needed to lead us out of this, a guy who can bring all the sides to the table and get them talking.

I don't mind McCain, really (Palin, on the other hand . . . .), but Obama is what we need. I think his brand of politics, his brand of transcendence (compared to McCain's) couldn't come too soon. And I think we saw why over the past 3 debates.

Blessed are the peacemakers, after all . . .