Presidential Debate "Morning After" 2.0

More accurately it's the "lunch break after the debate" but here goes:

What a difference two weeks and a drop in the polls makes! Whatever didn't happen before the first presidential debate to empower, enable or equip our 44th President to bring his "A Game" sure changed for this one. As the New York Times editorial put it:

On Tuesday night, in the second debate [President Obama] regained full command of his vision and his legacy, leaving Mitt Romney sputtering with half-answers, deceptions and one memorable error.

I thought Candy Crowley did a FABULOUS job under some pretty extraordinarily difficult circumstances -- and everytime I thought Romney couldn't get more rude or condescending he "went there."

That said, I had my favorite moments -- and you probably did, too. Some of mine were captured in my twitter feed ... I was WAY too nervous about the whole darned thing to just sit there and listen ... so here's a look at some what struck me. (These were toward the end of the debate ... and you can follow me on twitter at @revsusanrussell:)

The one that totally got the "twitterverse" going -- and a gift that kept on giving all day today -- was the "binders full of women" comment Mitt Romney made in response to the question by a young woman about equal pay for equal work. If you missed it, there's a great YouTube clip of the moment circulating -- check it out here.

That moment inspired a great outbreak of creativity in the cyber-sphere ... here are just a few:

Overkill? I don't think so. Not only did Romney utterly avoid the young woman's question about equal pay but his advisers spent most of today talking all over each other and trying to figure out just where he DOES stand on equal pay for equal work by women which ... if I may just say ... WHY ARE WE EVEN HAVING THIS CONVERSATION IN 2012?????

SERIOUSLY!!

As Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter put it:

It’s troubling that Mitt Romney’s campaign still can’t get their answer straight on where Mitt Romney stands on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which gives women greater ability to enforce in court their right to fair pay. From the six seconds of silence six months ago when they were first asked this question, to a top aide’s walk back of a statement last night that Mitt Romney wouldn’t have supported the law when it was passed, the Romney campaign is making what should be an easy answer extremely complicated. But, for millions of women, there is nothing complicated about it.

As the President said last night, this is not just a women’s issue, it’s a family issue and an economic issue. Three weeks out from an election, the American people need a clear and final answer on whether Mitt Romney would have signed the Lilly Ledbetter Act into law – and whether or not he would sign the Paycheck Fairness Act that President Obama has been fighting for.

And because my lunch hour is about up and I need to get back to work, I'm not going to even get INTO Romney inferring that the single mothers are responsible for assault weapons in our streets, that "self-deportation" is a just immigration policy and that a reduction in "capital gains" will help the middle class. As one twitter friend wrote:

Next stop: Foreign Policy Debate in Florida -- moderated by Bob Schieffer. Tick Tock Electon Day!