I've always felt the polls will solidly move in Obama's favor after the first debate, but that doesn't solve a major problem that's been going on for a long time. Every day the media talks about pigs and lipstick is another day McCain rules the media battleground. Even if the media calls McCain's camp out on all their lies, it's still another day McCain rules the media dialogue. Even Billo sided with Obama last night and said voters would see through McCain's ploy--it's still a day lost. And the Republicans love having the media complain about their truthiness too. It's a battle they are happy to have. Tweety can yell and complain, but then they replay the clip over and over again and McCain rules the narrative yet again.

Time is running out. Obama has to figure out ways to make the media follow his lead. Come out with a major policy plan, play offense instead of defense, and make McCain's camp respond to him for a change.

Atrios:

MATTHEWS: Now, it'll die, as we said, it'll jump the shark. Two days ago, no, we're all talking about -- you're waving the tabloids around, come on. Two days from now -- I want to ask you, what will we talk about two days from now?

SCARBOROUGH: Whatever the McCain campaign wants us to talk about, because the McCain campaign is assertive.

Being assertive is a good thing.

This is not a good thing either.