I am watching a re-run of the first Presidential debate as I write this, which is the equivalent of someone trying to type a review of a film whilst the action has scarcely moved beyond the opening scene and the outcome of the plot is still unknown even to the director.

Open to the accusation of presumption ? Of course, it's undeniable. I realise that I've put myself up for an easy fall here; there's hubris sniffing round my ankles here, I know.

Still, I cannot ignore what my eyes see and my ears hear: John McCain is an old ham. He's virtually recycling the gestures and idioms that Ronald Reagan used nearly thirty years ago. Effective then; today needs something else.

I need to see politics of substance, where ideas are weighed and their suitability assessed; positions defined and explained - I simply don't get that from McCain. It's theatrics and grandstanding instead.

The US deserves more than breathy recitations of stories and anecdotes, it needs - desperately - prudence, wisdom, a coherent strategy, a steady hand and not knee jerking, a fresh voice to articulate it's fears, worries, and equally, it's hopes and aspirations. That's Obama.