Last Chance

Tonight is the final debate. As long as Senator Obama shows up with a smile and heart beat, he'll be fine. McCain, on the other hand, needs to hit it out of the park. Schieffer Moderates:

And unlike at the other two debates, the candidates will sit at a table facing one another.

CBS News' Bob Schieffer, host of "Face the Nation," will moderate the debate and told The Associated Press on Sunday that he will be seeking more on what each will bring to the presidency.

"By now, we've all heard their talking points," he said. "We've heard the general outlines of what they are talking about. The time has come to be a little more specific."

Listen, with all the talk about who is the best leader, Sen McCain struggles with just running his campaign. Recent comments by his brother points to the tumult:

WASHINGTON - Frustrations inside John McCain's camp boiled over on the eve of tonight's presidential debate as the candidate's brother unleashed an e-mail blasting the campaign's "counter-productive" strategy.

"Let John McCain be John McCain," wrote Joe McCain in a missive sent out shortly before midnight Monday. "Make ads that show John not as crank and curmudgeon but as a great leader for his time."

It seems clear that on one hand, you have Obama driving the bus, guiding it down the road, and making the necessary adjustments as road conditions or detours present themselves. Whereas the McCain campaign keeps looking for short cuts and continuously finding itself in the ditch, only to be behind another percentage point or two.

Sen. John needs to find his groove tonight. He needs to talk directly to the people about his vision for tomorrow, and where he wants to 'lead' this country. He needs to carry through with his comments about Obama at the Lakeville rally, commending and honoring his service and patriotism, while distinguishing the differences between them on policy and principle. He needs to be calm, cool, but grandfatherly, not curmudgeonly.

I think tonight we see a new, fresh, John McCain. A risk taker in the sense where he finally takes off the gloves after realizing the clutch and grab is no longer working, and simply sits down for a little 'Straight Talk'. THAT is what could be a game changer tonight, and playing on the media cycle for a day or tow. If he remains in combative mode, he'll simply look like the same angry old curmudgeonly man brother Joe is frustrated about. And even I, an Obama supporter, knows John is much better than that.

Flash