Final presidential debates are generally the least consequential. But this time, maybe things had the chance to be a little different. There was no second debate, after President Donald Trump refused to take part when it was moved to a virtual format because of his positive COVID-19 diagnosis. And after his bullying schoolyard antics of the first debate, this was his last chance to behave in a reasonably presidential manner and alter the trajectory of the race.

We would like to say that this debate, which included mute buttons to help maintain control, was better.

Well, in a way it was better — better than, say, listening to a jackhammer while having a root canal, which is what the first debate was like. This one was more civilized and substantive. But anyone hoping that Trump might string together more than a few words in a row without a lie would have been sorely disappointed. As would have been anyone hoping that former Vice President Joe Biden would complete his thoughts or effectively call Trump to task for his many failures as chief executive.