After eight years of George Bush, people are looking for an adult in the White House. John McCain acted like a petulant boy. The post-debate chatter is less about the substance and more about the style. These are the images and soundbites that voters remember:

The McCains and the Obamas moved about the stage separately for a little while after their debate, greeting people on the stage, but not each other. Then John McCain tapped Barack Obama’s back briefly and Obama turned and reached his hand out. Rather than shaking it, McCain directed him to his wife, Cindy.

If it wasn’t clear on TV, photos showed that the two men did shake hands after Tuesday’s contest. But that awkward physical moment highlighted a reality that viewers were reminded of repeatedly Tuesday evening: There’s no love lost between these two men.

And it was McCain, slipping in the polls and increasingly on the attack in recent days, who appeared to have far more trouble concealing his apparent distaste for his opponent. He even began the evening with a dig.

“Sen. Obama, it’s good to be with you at a town hall meeting,” McCain said. Obama declined to participate in town hall settings with McCain earlier in the race.

And then there was the comment, likely to be much remarked upon, about Obama’s vote on an energy bill. “You know who voted for it?” McCain asked, thrusting his finger in Obama’s direction but not looking at him. “That one.”