You know, I was one of the folks who was upset at Clinton not lashing out more at McCain/Palin, and I was one of the folks while watching both debates that thought Obama/Biden didn't go aggressively enough after McCain/Palin and then suddenly it hit me:

Bill Clinton was right and Obama/Biden are doing it perfectly. You see, we're already converted. We are the ones who are angry at and preoccupied with McCain and the travesty that is Palin and are projecting our anger. But Obama and Biden don't need to do that. They project their anger toward Bush/Cheney (which no one disagrees with) and indirectly to the new GOP ticket by tying them to Bush/Cheney.

They recognize that they need is to tap into the switch vote and independent vote in this contest. And the way to do that is not by belittling your current opponent or being angry and erratic, or coming off as a petulant child loaded with zingers and no substance. But when dealing with McCain/Palin directly- the way to do that is through a dignified and substantive civil discourse that respects the other person but shows the better way. That's the key. The main takeaways you get out of every Obama/Biden exchange is:

civility, politeness, respect, substance, dignity, stature - and finally, proof of why they're right and the other guy is wrong.

No more acting like a child throwing tantrums, no more "you're with us or against us" mentality, no more unilateralism or pompous threats.

And as we're getting panicked and anxious about the upcoming election, we seem to forget that that's what we wanted and liked about this guy in the first place. Obama's whole message was that he was going to change this tone on Washington. He was going to stop the bickering and polarizing and partisanship that engendered such hatred and anger on both sides and prevented breakthroughs, dialogue and diplomacy. And as importantly, he was going to bring back a sense of dignity, stature, respect and civility to Washington and U.S. that would allow us to restore our respect and standing in the world. Wasn't that why we loved this guy? Wasn't that why he won the primary?

He is sticking to his message; it's brilliant and in actuality - it's truly remarkable; it's a testament to the greatness of the man; it's working, it's resonating, and ultimately, it's the change we need.