Insight: “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.” —General H. Norman Schwarzkopf (1934-2012)

For the record: “Few combinations are more poisonous than race and politics. That combination has torn whole nations apart and led to the slaughters of millions in countries around the world.” —Thomas Sowell

Observations: “The debate probably moved very few votes. Trump achieved his goal of showing that he is the vigorous, dominant figure who is able to execute the duties of the presidency on behalf of Americans. Biden achieved his goal of showing that he can stand up for an hour and a half, remember his lines and occasionally make sense. The carnival now moves on.” —John Hinderaker

Upright: “When allegiance to your political tribe is stronger than the bond of your wedding vows, when the kinship you experience with your political allies is stronger than blood, when newly adopted partisan ideals allow you to discount and dismiss lifelong friendships, it’s not just that your priorities are distorted. It’s that your soul is adrift in moral confusion.” —Peter Heck

From the Captain Obvious Files: “The World Health Organization has long encouraged mass tourism and said closing borders wouldn’t stop the spread of Covid-19. A New York Times investigation found this policy was never based on science, but instead on politics and economics.” —New York Times

Alpha jackass: “Me-first capitalists who think you can separate society from business are going to be the first people lined up against the wall and shot in the revolution. I’ll happily provide video commentary.” —former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo

And last… “It’s baffling that the left think they’re better than the people they rage against, but I’m guessing the Nazis had a pretty high opinion of their moral superiority too.” —Frank J. Fleming