It’s the bracelet, stupid.

For incumbent President George H. W. Bush, the defining moment of his 1992 debate with Bill Clinton and Ross Perot came as he was caught on camera checking his wristwatch. Already seen as a man hopelessly out of touch with the realities facing ordinary Americans, it didn’t help the perception that this moment came before he (poorly) answered an audience member’s question on how the recession had affected him personally.

In last night’s presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, a similar moment occurred that has been mostly ignored by the folks in the mainstream media (not surprising, considering their adoration for the community organizer from Illinois). But it certainly has not escaped the attention of those of us in the alternative media/blogosphere. That moment came after John McCain told a touching story about a mother who stood up during one of his town hall meetings and asked him to wear a bracelet bearing her son’s name. Her son was Matthew Stanley, 22 years old when he was killed in combat outside of Baghdad last year. John McCain told her he would be honored to wear the bracelet.

Not to be outdone, and hardly missing a beat, The Anointed One couldn’t wait to chime in, “I’ve got a bracelet, too!” Unfortunately, Obama couldn’t seem to remember the soldier’s name on his own bracelet without an obvious glance down at his wrist. Here’s the video:

This would be – should be – considered an embarrassing moment for Barack Obama, if he were capable of feeling embarrassment.

His exclamation “I’ve got a bracelet, too!” was embarrassing enough, but getting caught not knowing the soldier’s name added insult to injury. Why even bring it up just to end up looking like the elitist, arrogant blowhard that he is? In addition to looking extremely insensitive to the memory of Sergeant Ryan David Jopeck, it was a sorry demonstration of Obama’s preparation, or lack thereof. In a situation of his own making, he wasn’t even prepared to capitalize on a debate moment; how can we expect him to be ready for Commander-in-Chief on Day One?

It’s doubtful that CNN, MSNBC, or any of Obama’s other adoring networks will make much of this. They’re too busy trying to convince voters that Obama either won the debate last night, or it was a tie for him at worst. Fortunately, Americans don’t rely solely on the mainstream media to stay informed. Those of us capable of thinking for ourselves recognize this as typical of the Barack Obama we’ve come to know: not ready to lead, wrong for America.