As so many commentators noted, in some sense he simply failed to show up. Perhaps he also thought that, well ahead in the polls, he did not have to bother to engage the pesky fellow who imagined replacing him in the White House.
接着，在第一次电视辩论中，奥巴马甚至连徒劳的模仿也不做了，旧奥巴马也好，新奥巴马也好，都荡然无存。很多评论员注意到，从某种程度上说，奥巴马的露面是一次彻头彻尾的失败。或许他也在想，在民调中遥遥领先的他不必与幻想取代他入主白宫的那个令人讨厌的家伙一般见识。