Barack Obama won the Presidental debate last night, but not because he has resolved his own conflicts and challenges. Barack Obama won the debate because John McCain has not escaped the effects from his imprisonment decades ago.

From the beginning of the evening, both men were grappling with new territory, literally. The Town Hall meeting, with the empty space in the middle and actual voters (not the usual vetted supporters) all around is a challenging space in which to deliberate. The setting resembles both a boxing ring and a one-ring circus more than it does a venue for a side-by-side presentation. Add in all of the people in television land and there is a lot to take into account. Neither man seemed comfortable in the forum, but for different reasons:

Barack Obama lives in the universe of possibilities. His sense of space is vast and often without boundaries. If he were a painter, the canvas he describes as he moves around would be massive, and the colors would run off the edges. Over the past year-plus that he has been a candidate, he has learned how to narrow and focus his message and to add determination and clarity to it. But last night, he was often hesitant, slow to narrow in, and he wandered around looking slightly uncomfortable before nailing his points.

John McCain, on the other hand, began well, with his solidity and clarity present. He is a feisty guy who never gives up. But that is also his flaw. As the evening went on, he became increasingly locked in his body, entrenched in a small enclosed space, often illustrating his own internal contradictions rather than demonstrating solutions: pacing, shifting, side-stepping, restless and deeply uncomfortable.

You probably remember where you were as the last two elections were decided, just as you remember where you were when you heard about the 9/11 attacks, if you are young, and the JFK assassination, if you are my age. I won't go into the particulars of my own memories but I know that yours are seared into your psyche just like mine are. Now, the polls look pretty clear and we know what the candidates have to offer (or not), and we are a month away from voting.

Here are three articles related to election integrity and voting, and some suggestions for how to preserve your right. Please let others know. Also be aware of the deadline for registration and help others to register, if you can. Each state is different, but we are winding down. New registrations have been phenomenal. Yet danger lurks. (I could add some Brad Blog, Mark Krispin Miller, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast but I think I'd rather slit my wrists than read through all of it.)

Raw Story - Nonprofit Offers $100,000 Reward for Info About Rove Election Rigging

Are You Registered To Vote? by Senator Ted Kennedy

New Questions About Voter Purging - involves 19 states, battleground ones!

What You Can Do:

1. Confirm that you're correctly registered at www.CanIVote.org, a website maintained by the National Association of Secretaries of State. If you are properly registered, print out a copy and take it with you to the polling place when you vote. (It's also a good idea -- and law in many places -- to also bring a photo ID that shows your address, and a bank statement, utility bill, tax notice, or other document that shows where you live.)

2. If you live in one of the 31 states that allow early voting (basically, absentee voting without having to prove you'll actually be gone on Election Day), then vote as early as possible -- that way, you'll have time to fix any problems before Nov. 4. (Plus, your local party will be able to focus their get-out-the-vote efforts on other people.)

3. Refuse to vote a "provisional ballot" unless you've exhausted every other option. If there's confusion about the spelling of your name, whether you live in the precinct, etc., work to resolve the problem (bring in more paperwork, re-register, demand to see the chief elections officer, contact your Secretary of State's office and ask for help) so that you can vote a REAL ballot by Nov. 4.

Homer Simpson Uses Electronic Voting Machine