Around the midway point of tonight’s debate, there was a long reaction shot on Barack Obama’s face as John McCain launched into another nasty attack. The TV cameras love to do this–in fixed-podium debates, it’s often through the split-screen–in hopes of catching some embarrassing or awkward response: the “sigh,” the “smirk,” the “chortle.” But Obama’s expression was one of utter calm: he was listening intently, watching McCain with just the trace of a smile on his face, reacting almost not at all. At 9:42 p.m., I changed my Facebook status to: “Timothy sees the Zen of Obama.”

Two minutes later I got a gleeful Facebook message from another Asian American friend of mine. At almost precisely the same moment, she had changed her status to say that she “needs to be zen, like Obama.” (Tom Brokaw must have been listening to us: he characterized the final question of the debate as “sort of Zen.”) That serene, reassuring image has got to be the take-home shot of this debate.

As Ramey has already posted, snap polls show a clear Obama win. In fact, I thought this was a stronger performance for Obama than the first debate. The town-hall format was supposed to be McCain’s strength, but Obama shone by showing a real ability to connect with the audience. His explanations of policy–sometimes derided as too “professorial”–in this setting had a compelling narrative flow, as he began with a direct connection to an individual (often walking right up to the questioner and making extended eye contact), pivoted smoothly to a broad and straightforward explanation of policy, then moved to a pointed contrast with McCain’s position (although it’s key to note that the inflection of his voice during these critiques always remained level, never becoming harsh or biting).

Say all you want about those wacky audience-tracker lines that CNN displays: here, they showed not just how well each candidate was doing, but told us something crucial about the way each was getting his message across. There was a remarkable smoothness to the “Obama curve” in the reactions: as Obama laid out his answer the three lines (indicating Democratic, Republican, and independent viewers watching the debate in Ohio) would rise gradually, smoothly and generally in unison: Obama was skillfully carrying his audience with him through his answers. There would usually be some divergence when Obama criticized McCain, but often Obama had laid the groundwork well enough that the attack did not alienate Republican listeners entirely.

In contrast, the response to McCain was full of sudden spikes and drops, a “McCain curve” that was–dare I say it?–rather erratic in its pattern. McCain would often begin his answers with a direct attack on Obama, which would cause a spike in Republican approval but cause Democratic and independent response to plummet. McCain could also get a rise out of the audience by punching certain phrases hard–e.g. “America is the greatest force for good the world has ever known”–but they were oddly disconnected from his arguments, so whatever momentum he had gained from the crowd-pleasing soundbite quickly dissipated. Then, of course, there was McCain’s tone, which was a disaster. He was harsh and sneering at times–never more than in the bizarre “that one” moment–which completely destroyed his ability to connect in the town-hall format. People want to feel like you’re talking to them, not focusing your attention on ripping the guy who is standing next to you.

This debate took place at a moment of deepening worry about the economy and the country. What people needed to see, I think, was someone who was reassuring, calm, and in control. Even McCain knew that, saying late in the debate that we need a “cool hand on the tiller,” but somehow “Cool Hand John” doesn’t sound very plausible. Obama was the calm we needed tonight, not just in his thoughtful and compassionate answers but in the way he carried himself, in the evenness of his temperament.