Who Is George Today?

The third debate is over and we now have the answer to the question that's kept us on the edge of our seats since the last debate.

Who was George tonight? With his plastic grin and lame jokes, I think the answer is obvious.

He tried to get a laugh with a bad PAYGO joke. He sort of giggled to himself as he said "I sure hope it's not the administration" that's responsible for the 36 percent rise in health care costs. And he seemed positively giddy when he tried to zing CBS (the network of moderator Bob Schieffer) with this line:

BUSH: In all due respect, I'm not so sure it's credible to quote leading news organizations about — oh, never mind.

He had other failed attempts at humor, but they're not worth repeating.

The important thing, at least from his handlers' perspective, is that he showed he can still take instructions. Clearly, his staff told him to liven up his first debate performance while at the same time not assaulting people as he nearly did in the second debate. His response was an odd, glued on smile that must have made his cheeks hurt by the end of the debate.

Verdict: Three debates and at least three different Georges.

Doesn't he realize that the American president must be consistent? Maybe he does and he's just not up to the job?