Tonight is the final showdown. During the third presidential debate, held at Hofstra University, John McCain will get his last chance to topple the all-mighty Barack Obama. McCain hasn’t been able to do it in the last two debates, but watch out, he’s a maverick, he could do anything.
 

This snoozefest epic battle will focus on domestic issues, which, if polls are any indication, Obama dominates. But McCain isn’t going down without a scrappy, balls-to-the-wall battle. Newsday.com reports that McCain says he will take the character fight directly to Obama. Wait, he’s going to start smearing his character? I’m so confused as to what he’s been doing the last few weeks.
 

With mudslinging starting even before the debate begins, it’s clear the only winner tonight is going to be Hofstra. The school has spend $3.5 million in preparations and is expecting about 3,000 members of the press to descend on campus. But the excitement hasn’t been contained to just this week. No, no, Hofstra has been psyched about the big debate for the whole year, tailoring classes and lectures around the upcoming event.
 

The New York Times gives a peak into the buzz on campus:

And in the classrooms, the battle between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama seems to be getting as much attention as the great wars of history, at least this week. In a course on presidential elections, students analyzed the role of race in the 2008 campaign by drawing on the civil rights movement. In a class on nonverbal communication, they dissected Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s laugh and Gov. Sarah Palin’s wink.

“I’ve noticed a level of engagement in classes I haven’t seen before this semester,” said Ken M. Donovan, 21, a double major in history and secondary education. “The debate has really caused people to take a new look at things and think more deeply about these issues.”

In anticipation of the debate, the university has been offering political courses across disciplines, with such titles as “From Abigail Adams to Hillary Clinton: Can a Woman Be Elected President of the United States?” and “The Biological Impacts of Climate Change.” And since Hofstra got word last year that it would be the site of the debate, the school has held numerous events — some with standing-room-only crowds — featuring commentators and politicians.

These classes sound amazing. But, really, what’s there to dissect about Palin’s wink? She’s trying to seduce the audience into looking past her utter lack of competence. End of story.