Every day until November -- and in person in next Tuesday's debate -- McCain and his people are going to raise one smear of Obama after another. Will Obama respond effectively and keep his lead? A lot is at stake here: the 2008 election and the future of American politics, its capacity to cut off the kind of vicious falsehoods that have worked so well in the past. Are we going to want to live in the kind of polity we will end up with if Obama fails to respond with sufficient strength and specificity?

Certainly Obama needs to keep the focus on major issues and talk directly to voters about their economic needs and concerns. In Tuesday's debate, he should do much less responding to McCain's agenda and mostly look at voters through the camera and speak of their real-life concerns. And he should ask voters practical questions -- such as "how will it be for your family to try to pay new taxes on your health plan, or deal with insurance companies that can deny you coverage if you get sick, or find a new plan costing $12,000 or more with less than half that much to spend?" If you cannot afford that on top of all the other rising costs and worries you face, then you cannot afford John McCain."

But Obama and his surrogates also need to use specific facts and barbs to punch back against McCain's character smears, before turning right back (in the next sentence) to real issues. We have to hope they are getting ready -- along the following lines:

-- When Rezko is raised: "The charges are lies: Obama purchased his house (his ONE house) honestly at fair market rates. He has never associated with convicted felons or engaged in any wrongdoing in his personal or public activities. The same cannot be said for John McCain, who WAS officially reprimanded for public misconduct in the Keating Five scandal. This scandal cost the taxpayers billions to repair, and it exemplified the same kind of cronyism between Washington and bankers that got us into the recent Wall Street crisis and costly bailout. There is only one candidate in this presidential contest who has been found guilty of past unethical conduct in public office -- and that candidate is Senator McCain."

In fact, if McCain raises Rezko personally in the Tuesday debate, Obama must turn to him, face him, and say something like this personally. Everyone knows that Obama hates to do this, but, really, this is a test of strength. "With all due respect, John, there is only one candidate here tonight who has been found guilty of public misconduct -- and that is you in the Keating Five scandal. You pressured federal regulators to let your banker friend and political supporter run amok -- and it ended up costing the taxpayers billions to fix the mess you and other DC insiders helped to create. I have never engaged in personal or public wrongdoing of any kind, and you know it."

-- Similarly, when guilt by-associations are raised, the reponse must be: "Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama have crossed paths with thousands of people in their lives, and both have been in groups and served on boards with people who have done past things they condemn or disagree with. Senator Obama has never held radical views; he has always condemned extremism; and he while he talks with many people, he does not take ideas from extreme or prejudiced people. Does Senator McCain want to explain and take responsibility for all the past acts or views of the convicted felons and extremists he has had dealings with, people such as Gordon Liddy or XXXX or Charles Keating? Does Governor Palin want to explain why her husband joined a party that wanted to break up the United States -- and why she courted political support from that radical, disloyal Alaska Independence Party? If not, then John and Sarah need to cut out the nonsense of guilt by association. They have no business making false accusations against Senator Obama."

Again, Obama must say this directly to McCain if McCain attacks him through past associations on Tuesday.

Voters need to hear specifics from Obama -- and they want to see him and his campaign hit back in ways that show the falsity and hollowness of the smears. Obama must find ways to do this, even though briefly, and while carrying forward his main message. He must show fight and strength, and do it elegantly and surgically. To voters, this will not only make him seem not guilty. It wil also show that Obama can fight for the good on behalf of all of us.