John McCain and Barack Obama will both be on stage tonight at the University of Mississippi for the first of three Presidential debates, as the two men have a chance to swing this race in their favor with a strong performance.

They also have the chance to shoot themselves in the foot, and with just over five weeks until Election Day, now is not the time to be explaining what you meant to say.

It will be very interesting to see what happens tonight, especially since it comes on the heels of an uneven week for both candidates.

McCain clearly shook up the race (again) by coming to Washington and inserting himself into the negotiations on a Wall Street bailout deal.  He also got an assist from the White House, which forced Obama to show up as well.

But McCain's actions while in Washington only gave the Democrats more ammunition, as they have been pummeling him all day on and off the floors of the House and Senate, charging that McCain was responsible for the breakdown in the bailout talks.

I would expect moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS to ask questions both about the economy and about national security issues, which is the stated subject of this first debate.

Expect discussions of the surge in Iraq which McCain supported and Obama opposed, the ongoing war in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the war on terror and more.

The natural advantage that McCain has on national security should be evident tonight, but experience alone doesn't mean you will "win" a debate.

Make sure you watch it tonight.  Pop a tape in the VCR, program that DVR or Tivo.  And then you can post reaction to your heart's content afterward!