Obama should maximize exposure, diffuse Palin-mania

During last Thursday night’s Service Forum at Columbia University, John McCain hammered Barack Obama for declining to engage in a series of 10 town-hall style debates across the country in the run-up to the election. When Mr. McCain brought this challenge to the Illinois Senator back in June, Obama seemed in a dominant position looking toward the conventions, and opted — probably sensibly — not to rock the boat. Now, however, the landscape has shifted; the McCain campaign owns the spotlight, the momentum, and the polls thanks in large part to Sarah Palin, and the Obama-ites are searching for an effective counter punch.