And the winner was the referee.
A certain Chris Wallace, versatile and 'race' journalist.
A 72-year-old Chicago professional, Democratic supporter and host of the conservative Fox News network, he has added a patina of honesty, competence and elegance to his newscasts.
Wallace has a lot of notches on his revolver.
He was a writer for the Boston Globe in the years of the Watergate scandal, an NBC correspondent in the White House for Ronald Reagan, a visible face of ABC News in the Clinton and Bush dynasty eras.
On the stage, three men over 70 years old.
Only one of them, the accidental hero of the evening, the one who does not aspire to be president of the United States, really rose to the occasion.
His were the best phrases of the night, acts of good sense and proud resistance against the virulence of Trump and the self-absorbed and absent attitude of Biden.
Some were exhortations to elemental civility and respect for the rules of the game.
"The moderator is me, keep it in mind a little."
"If you prefer, sit in my chair, I will gladly give it to you."
"Try not to interrupt him this time."
Others, condensed lessons of good journalism such as: "Answer what you think, but that was not the question" or "I am also concerned about climate change."
Hours before the debate, the analyst John F. Harris predicted an "atrocious" spectacle, only suitable for "neurologists or psychiatrists."
That is, the type of earthlings who are interested in questions about whether Trump's narcissism is pathological or not and whether Joe Biden begins to show, at 77, symptoms of cognitive decline
Hours before the debate, the analyst John F. Harris predicted an "atrocious" spectacle, only suitable for "neurologists or psychiatrists."
That is, the type of Earth people who are interested in questions about whether or not Trump's narcissism is pathological and whether Joe Biden begins to show, at 77, symptoms of cognitive decline.
Wallace tried to referee through thick and thin an impossible fight between an old-school fighter, Biden, and an elusive and anarchic puncher like Trump, who enters and leaves the ring and does not accuse the blows, because his arrogance and his cynicism make him invulnerable .
In these circumstances, the referee chose to uphold the rules and protect the weak.
Hence, the exchanges with real substance were between Wallace and Trump, while a fainted and contrite Biden tried to weave a speech between continuous interruptions and personal attacks.
The Democratic hopeful cannot be accused of failing to use heavy-gauge ammunition.
Phrases such as “you are the worst president in our history” or “you lie again, but you don't know how to do anything else”, undoubtedly prepared in the basement of your residence in Wilmington, Delaware, sounded as accurate as they were inconsequential, direct delivered without the least enthusiasm to a granite jaw.
Biden was overcome by Trumpian stridency, his ability to make noise and wreak havoc.
He was about to lose by bewilderment and by default.
Only the defense of his son Hunter, accused by Trump of corruption, incompetence and stupidity, sounded energetic.
In the end, the aspirant took refuge behind the parapet that the moderator offered him with his innate sense of justice.
"This is being a debate between you and me, Chris", sentenced the president minutes before embarking on a torrential tirade about the "fraud" that is brewing, in his opinion, in the mail vote.
Nate Silver, an electoral analyst, synthesized this harsh and tedious encounter with a phrase that perfectly sums up how unpredictable Trump is: “I can't quite understand why the candidate who is losing in the polls insists on turning the debate into an insufferable tie to zero ”.
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