What I've noticed...
Is that "conventional wisdom" judgments on the candidates' speaking ability and communication skills seem to have completely inverted themselves from just a short time ago.
Seriously, how many different excuses can you make for the Smartest Person in the World constantly acting like he's anything but?
They're not just lowering the bar for Obama's expectations, they're dropping it into the Challenger Deep. If Obama gets through the debate without actually crapping himself on stage, the media will declare him a winner.