Tonight’s first debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama is the equivalent of Opening Day or the Kickoff Classic for the election season. Then we have the VP debate on Oct. 2, followed by two more presidential debates on  Oct. 7 and 15. So put your game face on, gather up your fellow political junkies and throw a debate-watching shindig.

 
Start by stocking up on McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden loot, like buttons, lapel stickers, bumper stickers, banners and yard signs. The fastest way to do that is by visiting the Democratic or Republican campaign headquarters in your area to see what they have in stock. are lots of online options, both official and not, in case tonight’s last-minute debate decision caught you unprepared. You can get McCain/Palin bulk items - buttons, lapel stickers, bumper stickers, yard signs - from VictoryStore.com. (The campaign’s official store is offline right now. Check back for it at GOPTrunk.com.) For Obama, you can get “support packs” with various quantities of the above from $125 to $25.

A big old banner can top off your party HQ. Obama banners run from $35 to $145). We couldn’t find official McCain banners, but this beach towel ($25) might serve the purpose, or some of these flashy signs.

As host or hostess, you must dress the part, so deck yourself out in Obama or McCain T-shirts, caps, hoodies, and more from Zazzle. Our best bets: The women’s “Hope Starts Here” Obama  slip-on shoe ($62) or McCain lace-ups ($72). Guys might go for the black with gold foil “Obama ‘08″ T-shirt ($17) or the McCain Stars and Stripes T ($15).

Now, for the fun stuff: Your guests will dig posing with these life-size stand-ups of Barack Obama or John McCain ($35 each) for souvenir party pix. Hand out paper photo face masks of all four candidates and play debate games (99 cents each). Or re-enact the debate with these fun action figures of Obama and McCain ($15 each) or the always-popular bobble heads ($20; top of post).

Show your good political taste with mints for each candidate from AmuseMints ($3 each). Kai’s Candy Company has candy sets for each candidate and even a bipartisan set (set sizes vary).

Finally, prolong the party into the wee hours by watching endless post-debate coverage on cable news while playing Political Stratego: Democrats vs. Republicans ($30) or Race for the White House ($23).