If Sen. John McCain had his way then he and Barack Obama would have met together with American voters 10 times already - “as free from the regimented trappings, rules and spectacle of formal debates as possible.” Yes, back in June McCain famously asked his Democratic opponent to commit to a series of weekly town hall meetings before the party conventions in the hope that they could, together, challenge the tired old political discourse.

Alas, the Republican nominee was forced to settle for meeting the voters all on his own. And last night, while “regimented trappings, rules and spectacle” were of course part of the biggest night of his political life, McCain proved his campaign is as much about a deep and personal connection with voters as his opponent’s is - but it is about so much more. On this night, the charges of a “third Bush term” simply were not going to stick.