I am honestly kind of shocked McCain did so poorly with body language last night.

[Curtland1015]

The hunching, the sighing, the derisive chuckles and his refusal to look Obama in the eyes... what the hell? You figure NOT doing things like this would have been top on the list for McCain to work on before the debates. It should have been the number one issue! How could he go out there and do a WORSE version of the very thing that cost Gore the debates? It's NUTS!

The only two reasons I can think of would be 1) He WAS told to watch out on these things but his temper got the better of him. Or, 2) He was arrogant to the point that he didn't TAKE advice on how to perform because he "knows what he's doing".

Other than that, I was really shocked that it played out like that. What a bone-headed performance!

[tulsakatz]

1. true, little things like that can affect a voter's opinion.....

...and it's such a little courtesy to actually look at the person you're talking to!

[Tallison]

4. It's huge - election outcomes come down to such piffle

But hey, I'll take whatever votes for O for whatever reason.

[Grateful for Hope]

6. I don't think it was a little thing

Making eye contact is very important in social interactions. Even if we don't consciously notice, subconsciously, red flags are raised when we see the type of behavior McCain demonstrated last night. I think we will see that public perception of who he is as a person will be very impacted by last night's performance.

[Raven]

2. He didn't want to be there, he was pissed that his Hail Mary trip

to Washington flopped,he is tired and he is angry that he has to run for President and can't just be crowned. To me, next to Obama he looked old and pudgy and pasty and past sale date.

[Vinca]

3. McCain's demeanor can be described in one word: curmudgeon.

"Hey, you kids, get off my lawn."

[THUNDER HANDS]

5. I don't think he even looked at Obama when they greeted each other

there's a still photo of them greeting each other and Obama is looking at McCain and McCain is looking away. Really odd.

[wildflower]

7. The funny thing is

at the beginning of the debate, I was certain that he was deliberately being very subdued and humble, in a pre-planned effort to control his temper and make Obama look like the testy one. Maybe as time went on, he was simply unable to help himself?

[MetaTrope]

8. So has anybody cut together a video of this yet?

There's a board or two I'd love to post it on.

[Hokie]

9. His weirdness was there in his acceptance speech

Blinking, shrugging, forced smiles. I was only surprised how obvious it was.

[FatherTime1408]

10. Don't forget the jokes that bombed....

a "K" a "G" and a "B". Awkward.

[On the Road]

12. Yeah, and the Bear DNA

"Was it criminal or paternal?"

The jokes might not have been a good idea when the audience is told to keep silent.

[Window]

11. He was both, condescending and dismissive of Obama at the same time.