As Hillary Clinton’s chances for the nomination seemed to slowly evaporate with each passing minute of the debate last night, one could  imagine John McCain on that stage and how the confrontation might have differed. Clearly, McCain (who actually does have a health care plan) will need to become more proficient and show interest in health care reform, what is one of the top issues for non-GOP primary viewers (i.e, the people he did not reach and convince to vote for him in the primaries). Second, he will have to make the case for free trade and explain why it is Luddite-thinking to revert to a protectionist regime that will benefit neither ourselves nor those friends around the world Barack Obama speaks so affectionately about. He then will have to make the tougher argument that on the issue of Iraq voters should reward him for helping, in Obama’s words, to get us out of the ditch. He will point out that other than counseling in favor of retreat, Obama has contributed nothing to the effort to achieve military and political progress, and this bespeaks a lack of realism in his overall approach to foreign policy issues. (And McCain will want to know the answer to the inverse of Tim Russert’s question from last night: What do you do if Iraqis plead with us to stay and prevent genocide?)

And so it will go. There will be real contrasts, on real issues. Obama will not have the benefit of arguing that we have had enough Clinton for a lifetime or that his opponent is responsible for a hyper-partisan style of politics. (Indeed, McCain may turn the tables and argue he, not Obama, has been the one reaching across the aisle while Obama was stuck on the far Left of his party.) He will, however, have the benefit of youth, vigor, intelligence, and good humor. This will be one fun race.