John McCain elicited some hearty laughter at last night’s NYC gala in honor of the late Gov. Al Smith. In introducing Barack Obama, McCain mocked the hype about his opponent.

“Prepare yourself for non-stop hilarity,” McCain said. “The funniest 15 minutes of your life — or any other. I think he knows that anything short of that would mar the evening, insult our hosts and perhaps even cost him several swing states.”

But just because you’re playing the funny man doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, linguistically.

McCain said he had never lost the “confidence” or “the judgement of the American people.”

Judgment is the ability to make a wise decision or the demonstration of such ability. It is a synonym for prudence and good sense. (That means it does not require an adjective good; it naturally has a positive connotation. “Good judgment” is redundant. “Poor judgment” is not.)

As a presidential candidate, McCain can lose the trust and confidence of Americans, but he cannot lose their judgment. There is no way to lose (or win) voters’ ability to make good decisions — unless you brainwash them.

The way the polls are leaning, that might be McCain’s next tactic.