During the presidential campaign season, every pundit -- regardless of political affiliation -- has touted the "town hall" format as the strongest and most comfortable debate setting for John McCain. Unfortunately, McCain performed miserably in Tuesday's town hall debate with Barack Obama, once again looking desperate, rambling and uncomfortable. So how is the GOP going spin it?

C&L sources who are on GOP e-mail lists report that at least a half hour before the debate was even finished, they started receiving e-mails spinning and whining about the format and how it wasn't a REAL town hall -- therefore, it's unfair to poor John McCain. Ben Smith at Politico got the ball rolling:

I wrote earlier that this would likely be an empathy contest, but between the odd rules, the candidates, and the visibly displeased moderator, that's not really happening. The questions are basically impersonal, and the questioners then disappear.

Right. It's not the debater who failed....it's the debate format that failed him.

Let's see how many of the right wing water carriers pick up and run with that lame excuse.