Final Leaders debate: Obama victory cause for chumminess

Chummy; oh they were very chummy. No, you first/No, you/Sorry, you first/no please, you... Two days ago on the TV3 head-to-head they were scrapping and feuding and petulant and interrupting and rude and abrasive. On tonight's TV One debate with the news walrus they were charming and amicable and gushing (esp. with love for Obama). This wasn't just because the Obama vibe had affected them, but because their handlers and focus group feedback told them they were arseholes last time and they had to be nice - no matter what. And they were so nice. They put on a show of posed humanity. Tepid.

I confess I only caught the last half hour or so because I was still watching Obama being the first black man to be elected President of the United States. To see the looks of admiration and wonder and respect and awe on the faces of the people in Chicago and all over America as a black man quotes Martin Luther King to them - as the President-elect - mind-blowing.

So these turkeys, our aspiring Prime Ministers, are so uninspiring in comparison. I doubt I missed much judging from what I did see. The You Tube questions they used were mostly pathetic, inane, obviously partisan rambles. It was gimmicky and stupid and has proven its poor value, just as TV3's iPredict on the Monday debate was proven to be a useless gimmick. I love the worm, bring back the silly worm.

These two needed to be pitted against the minor leaders. We haven't seen that even once in this campaign and its a pity. TweedleLeft and TweedleRight have so many policy overlaps that the best critique of either of them would come from other leaders. It would be a shame if this sort of presidentialisation of the TV coverage occurs again.

Clark and her team will be asking themselves whether the gamble to go head-to-head was worth it in the end: it made Key look equal to her just by showing up, and he had nothing to lose; but she didn't have to stand next to Winston and have his baggage thrown at her by everyone else. But that was the call. She was supposed to wipe the floor in this format which was why she agreed to it. She failed. She failed to beat him decisively - if at all.