Since I was teaching tonight (yes, Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior is still the greatest book ever), I tuned in to the debate just in time to hear the first word out of John McCain’s mouth be “Ayers.” Yes, it was McCain Gone Wild, in last-chance mode, throwing every attack he could think of at Barack Obama.

But as with the two previous debates, it was McCain, not Obama, who was the story: Angry McCain, seething with barely controlled rage, condescending, grimacing, rolling his eyes, even getting in a good snort at the end. And in the face of it, Obama was cool, cool, cool, never taking the bait or letting McCain get under his skin, playing his own game. It’s exactly what he did brilliantly the past two debates. And it’s why the snap polls (results below the fold) show a third straight strong Obama win.

Snap poll results:

CBS (uncommitted voters): 53% said Obama won, 22% said McCain, 25% said a tie
CNN (voters who watched the debate): 58% said Obama won, 31% said McCain
MediaCurves panel: 81% of Democrats and 60% of independents say Obama won

Where to start with McCain’s rage–and, more importantly, the terrifying policy implications of his contempt? Because if (as some pundits are claiming) this was McCain’s “best” performance, it was also his most radical and frightening.

Nowhere was this more evident than in the exchanges over abortion. The candidates were asked at one point whether they would consider appointing judges who disagreed with their positions on Roe v. Wade. Bizarrely, some listeners took at face value McCain’s claim that would not impose a “litmus test” on judges and that he would consider anyone who was “qualified”–but then he said the only people he considered qualified would be those who opposed Roe! (I guess that’s not a litmus test; that’s being a maverick.)

Then, late in the debate, abortion came up again, in a loathsome exchange that probably best embodies everything McCain did wrong in this debate (and, not coincidentally, everything Obama did right). Here’s the clip.

Let’s break this down:

McCain opens with the debunked claim that Obama voted to deny medical care to “a child born of a failed abortion.” Note what Obama is doing as McCain is attacking him: looking down at the table, taking notes, not visibly responding. (At 1:00, as McCain anticipates Obama’s response, Obama does smile and then tighten his mouth slightly.) But also notice what is happening to the trackers at the bottom of the screen, representing the sharp split in the reactions of male and female voters: women’s reaction is tanking during McCain’s attack, while men’s approval is moderately high.

1:14: Obama responds (looking not at McCain but at the moderator): “If it sounds incredible that I would vote to withhold life-saving treatment from an infant [with this word, Obama's eyes flash as he allows himself just a hint of righteous anger], that’s because…it’s not true.”

1:25: Now watch what McCain does. After processing Obama’s response for a second, his eyebrows shoot up, he rolls his eyes, and turns his head away from Obama. (It’s pretty terrifying if you watch it a few times.)

1:37: As Obama continues to calmly explain the context of his vote, McCain’s eyes narrow and his mouth tightens.

1:39: When Obama says “Roe vs. Wade,” McCain’s mouth opens, his eyes shoot off to the side, then he fixes back on Obama.

Watch what’s happening to the trackers as Obama responds. The responses of both men and women gradually rise, together (a phenomenon that I called “the Obama curve” in my post on the last debate), with a noticeable spike at 2:06 when Obama says, “I am completely supportive of a ban on late-term abortions…as long as there’s an exception for the mother’s health and life.”

2:48: Obama says that on abortion, “there surely is some common ground.” McCain visibly squirms, his shoulders jumping.

2:51: Obama says, “Both those who believe in choice and those who are opposed to abortion can come together and say, ‘We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies.’” Huge positive spike in the trackers. What does McCain do? As Obama says “unintended pregnancies,” he smirks and then rubs his eyebrow (another tic of his).

3:05: Obama continues, saying we should “provide appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred…” The trackers are going through the roof; Obama is hitting a home run with the audience. Now here’s where it starts to get weird. As Obama continues to talk, McCain folds his hands visibly in front of him, squirms again, bares his teeth in a little smile, as if he’s trying not to laugh.

3:19: Obama has just said something about “helping single mothers if they want to choose to keep the baby.” Trackers are both maxed out positive. Completely inexplicably, at this moment, McCain suddenly throws his hands out as if exasperated, then drops them, then folds them again, all while grimacing and loosening and tightening his mouth. He’s just itching to respond and can’t restrain himself.

3:30: McCain launches into his response and completely loses all control over his body language. He begins by waving his hand in front of his face and then gesturing angrily with both hands. Then he says: “This is just another example of the eloquence of Senator Obama. He’s…’health’ of the mother. You know, that’s been stretched by the pro-abortion movement in American to mean almost anything.”

And as he’s saying “health,” he actually makes air quotes with his hands. He is actually mocking the idea of concern for a woman’s life and health…at precisely the moment when Obama was most effectively connecting with the audience by calling for “common ground.” Disgusting. He even finishes off his point by repeating, “quote, ‘health.’”

What is Obama doing as McCain is losing it? Well, watching Obama at this moment tells you all you need to know. Obama starts by looking at McCain with detached curiosity, as if he were an animal at the zoo. Then, as McCain starts in on “the pro-abortion movement,” Obama looks down, tightening his mouth just so slightly as if disapproving, then looks away, reaches down for his glass of water, and turns to look at McCain again while taking a sip.

That’s poise. That’s cool. That’s why Obama is 3-0.