I think Molly Ball is on to something here. I’ve been thinking the same — the debate, the Univision Interview and the convention speech, though she points to the 60 Minutes interview too. It wasn’t just the debate. Obama had had a few similar outings in the month or so before Denver. They just got less attention.
I don’t agree that those events were already dragging Obama down. In themselves they didn’t matter. But they do tell me Obama just hadn’t prepped the way he should have for the high stakes live event.