Things should be getting under way at Nashville’s Belmont University in just a few minutes.

For those joining our debate live blog for the first time, everyone is invited — indeed, encouraged — to contribute thoughts by adding their comments to this post.

Pre-debate spin is focusing on “John McCain’s last stand.” The consensus of polls is that Barack Obama is widening his lead, anywhere from 6 to 8 points. McCain needs something tonight to stop the bleeding.

Two trivia questions to get things started:

1. What highly-ranked NCAA Division I basketball team lost to tiny Belmont in December 2003?

2. Name the 1975 movie in which a fictional presidential candidate named Hal Philip Walker played a key role, though he was never on screen. Who directed the movie?