NASHVILLE - It is hard to fathom that in a democracy as mature and vibrant as ours, in an election to determine the leader of the free world in which hundreds of millions of dollars are spent to try and influence in the outcome, tonight is one of only three nights in which the two candidates will stand on stage together and respond to questions.

Because of this oddity, tonight is seen as a big night in the presidential race, even though it may in fact not be. As has been said many times before, debates are very hard to win, and somewhat easier to lose. But while pundits - including yours truly - are constantly on the lookout for "game changing" moments in these debates, the reality is that they are few and far between.

As a consequence, we tend to approach these events with much more excitement and anticipation than they probably deserve. Will McCain attack? Will he suffer a senior moment? Will Obama stumble? Glance at his watch?

Odds are that McCain and Obama will both do an adequate job of making their respective cases and trying to draw contrasts with each other, with little ground gained or lost in the end.

I could be wrong. Perhaps tonight will hold some dramatic moment in store that will change the course of the race - but I will not be holding my breath.