A reader writes:

Way back in the heat of the Democratic primary, I told all who would listen that if it came down to Hillary vs. McCain I'd vote McCain.

If Senator McCain was still around, I suppose I wouldn't regret that claim, but somewhere along the line, Senator McCain got replaced by Candidate McCain.

I was dwelling on this a bit today and it struck me. One benefit of this long campaign is that it really does show a person's character. And I realized. We have two men running for president right now. One has stayed true to himself throughout despite all the pressure. The other really hasn't or maybe we've just seen what he really was all along.

Obama said at the outset that he wanted a civil campaign on the issues. He said he would avoid the politics of person destruction. He demanded a cool, no drama organization -- much like himself.