Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

As I watched the debate on Tuesday night it became apparent to me early on that I felt I was watching a boxing match.

The entire scene brought me back to the year 1964, when boxing was considered one of our most popular "sports" and a world heavyweight championship title fight between the challenger, Muhammad Ali, 22 years young, and the reigning champion, Sonny Liston, 12 years his senior.

For those of us who are not followers of the fight game, a title bout is scheduled to go fifteen rounds of three minutes each, with one minute rests in between rounds, provided no one scores a knockout - putting your opponent down and out, unable to get up and continue - before the end of fifteen rounds. Points are awarded for style, effort, punches landed and avoided, etc.

Ali predicted he would win the fight by employing a strategy that would totally befuddle the older and stronger and more experienced Liston by moving about quickly, deftly, elusively, making Liston miss his knockout punches, and hitting Liston with sharp, accurate blows, not putting him down but scoring the points needed to win.

The strategy called for Ali to - float like a butterfly...sting like a bee.

Ali won, a new champion.

Watching the debate, as Senator John McCain, the older veteran, circled the stage and stalked his opponent with a hunched over, grizzled, and angry look about him, I thought of Liston in that 1964 fight. He attacked, he swung wildly and angrily, and missed more blows than he landed. And the more he missed the more frustrated he became.

And of course the younger Senator Barack Obama was the epitome of Ali as he moved about so carefully, so methodically, so calm and cool, with his calculated punches landing ever so sharply, piling up the points as the fight wore on, satisfied that his plan was working and would serve him and his supporters well.

So, was there a winner Tuesday night? A tie? What did the performance of each candidate say to you? Did you see it as I did? Was I just reliving a momentous moment in sports history? Am I completely out of touch with reality? Am I being biased?

Who appeared to have the "steadier hand on the wheel?"

Who would you want to be receiving that "3 AM call?"

With two debates in the history books, with each "fight" of five rounds recorded, next Wednesday's debate will be the final "five rounds." By consensus of the experts and polls, it appears that Obama is currently ahead on points.

Will McCain be able to land the knockout punch that he will certainly need to win? Will Obama continue his successful strategy and maintain his lead?

Or will McCain and his fellow Republican strategists resort to the three remaining game plans in their arsenal : voter suppression, voting machine manipulation, and the fear factor - manufacture a "terrorist threat?"

Float like a butterfly...sting like a bee.

Tune in - it should be one hell of a fight.

Peace.

Larry