Live-Bloggin’ the Debate

ABC please stop. You are really embarrassing yourself

McCain is mopping the floor with Obama. Funny to see Obama as the one losing his temper.

You can see the experience of Sen. McCain on knowledge of the bills and tax cuts of the past …

McCain is winning this hands down. Obama is clearly flustered.

Senator Obama is ill informed and knows nothing. Is it true that he won’t provide a birth certificate.to prove he is an american citizen, not one from Paragury.

Obama’s beating McCain in his [McCain] own game.

Obama cant keep names straight, he keeps calling john jim even when he is not speaking to the moderator. My verdict, mccain not so feeble, and Obama not so smart.

McCain look spresidential. Obama looks sout side Chicagoan.

Amazing…..John McCain even cleaned BO’s clock on the economy!!!

Obama is clearly showing that he has no knowledge of foreign affairs or economics.
Go Mccain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love it! When Obama just followed McCain.
Obama said:”Sen. McCain is right”
So that means Obama is WRONG!
Keep the lease on him John!
Keep it up! Obama will definitely need the teleprompters NOW.
Somebody helps him. Set up the teleprompters, please!

McCain keeps smiling at everything to keep from getting angry.

John is clearly a coward and doesn’t know how to answer questions directly. He is off in left field and is not aware of the struggles of everyday Americans. Obama is clearly running this debate. Republicans better watch out, Dems are taking OVER!!

i have heard Obama say ” John, You are absolutely right 3 times already…
I love it ….and he knows John has the facts, cause he was there, not from scripts like Obama..Go john

Obama acts like a snotty, swaggering lawyer.

all McCain can do is tell “old stories” SOS

OMG now McCain is actually INVOKING the name of Ronald Reagan. He has to delve back 25 years to find something to brag about to prove “I have a record… ”
Tells story about wearing killed soldier’s bracelet. Trying to come off as anti-war when he just said a few minutes ago he was FOR the Surge and would have sent MORE soldiers. THIS IS A COMPLETE CONTRADICTION. Obama, go after him on this.

Oh man. McCain is not performing as he did in saddleback.
Obama’s not winning either but it’s leaning Obama. And that’s not good. McCain needs a game changer and this isn’t the way.

McCain is proving to be
dumber than Palin. He’s
finished.

McCain is doing great. Obama is showing his total lack of experience on real-life foreign policy (he’s only read about it.)

The DNC emails and Obama memos are already pushing the lower expectations tactic – or is it a strategy – whatever.
Dems are now saying if Obama performs just a little sub-parr, he wins.
So much for the Dem’s confidence in their standard bearer!

McCain is using far too many pronouns in his statements – I feel like he forgot whom he was talking about by the time he gets to the end of his “point.”

McCain is on the ropes; his mouth is twisted in an ugly sneer and he is getting that snotty tone he likes to adopt. He is losing and he KNOWS it. Close the deal, Obama. Circle in for the kill. For you commenters who keep noting that Obama says John, you are right… that is standard debate procedure, acknowledging your opponent’s good points before digging in for the attack. Have you never watched a debate before? Because I do NOT think McCain has ever been in a debate before; he seems frail and old and pissy.

McCain is blowing smoke
about war. He’s lost three
them already:
Vietnam
Iraq
Georgia – which he supported
and that country just lost
two of it sprovinces.
He’s a born loser and the
debate is showing him up
to be just that.

were is McCains flag pin!!!!!!

agreed seansatx; this debate needs more moderation

EXACTLY RIGHT Nelly!!!!!!

McCain does not even know
that Spain is a member of
NATO. The man is dumber
than Palin.

Obama looked pissed haha. I mean even the people in the audience just laughed . McCain got him we will wipe Isreal off the map no you wont lol.

McCain sounds just like a war monger and smart aleck. He is trying to scare the American people into thinking that Iran is going to attack Israel. It is an outrageous ploy to incite fear. He’ll do anything to win…anything!

Obama should learn some manners and stop interrupting.

McCain also said Obama didn’t understand the difference between “strategy” and “tactics”. They are synonyms.

I do not want a President who is willing to sit down with someone who calls Israel a “stinking corpse.” I’m not surpised that Obama is willing to do this- look at his association with the church that honors Farrahkan, one of the most notorious anti-semites in modern history. Obama should be NO WHERE near the White House with those kind of attitudes.

too many unobjective/biased republicans here

Here is Kissinger’s quote courtesy of my friends at the national security network:
Fmr. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger: Negotiate with Iran. “I’m in favor of negotiating with Iran. And one – (unintelligible) – of negotiation is to put before Iran our vision of a Middle East – of a stable Middle East and our notion of nuclear proliferation at a high enough level so that they have to study it; and therefore, I actually prefer doing it at the secretary of state level.”

Obama is angry – lessons in civics and forgein affairs in one debate – McCain is giving him a beating which Hillary should have given Obama in their previous debates

Obama bloviating again….definately getting more talk time, by my clock. He has really boned up on his studies this week in Florida.
McCain didn’t jump in there enough, or maybe they are not allowed to….OBAMA STILL THE BIGGEST BLOVIATOR.
McCain definately not getting as much air time, I think.
Obama puts me to sleep and I hate his pronounciation of alot of words, with some kind of southern drawl.
Oh, I can’t stand the idea of him as POTUS.

Was that food on Obama’s lip?

Why doesn’t Obama say nuclear power has to be subsidised by tax dollars and isn’t cost effective.

Obama is IMPATIENT and immature!
Just watching answered the questions!
Go John… Kick his a–

McCain is now talking about
a shooting war with Russia.
He couldn’t win in Vietnam,
in Iraq, in Georgia. The
Russian navy is in already
in Venezuela. Expect Russian
nuclear bombers in Cuba
pretty soon.
This is what you can expect
from an old man who has lost
his bearings.

Obama is sweating – what it sweat or bogger near his upper lip

Vanessa – McCain has not lost his cool. He is coming across as very smooth – while Obama seems angry and “smarty pants.” He is losing. The polls will show that.

Obama hit his stride 1/3 into it and he’s getting under McCain’s frail wrinkly skin. Go Obama!

Obama is winning.

Obama is cool, calm, well-informed and eloquent.

Now understand why America is in so big mess. How this man McCain is senator for so many years? He’s suffering from mental constipation!

If Obama is for the troops and for the Country WHY doesn’t he Atleast Visit the troops to show is Patriotism?

mcPalin …Please stop Surge…..

Just stick to the question please Obama. How can we know if you keep going back to the same answer.

McCain sucks and you guys know it. Let it go people. Just do like me and sit back and sip on a nice glass of wine and watch Obama take over this debate. Obama is clearly TAKING OVER!!!! Obama 08

I made up my mind tonight.
McCain you have our votes. We’re watching the debate now, out of 10 people in the room that were undecided, 8 are voting for john mcCain and 2 undecided still/leaning McCain after tonight.
McCain trully demonstrated why Obama doesnt deserve the presidency. No substance, no experience and if he brings up Bush one more time, Im gonna puke.

McCain is scary. The ignorant folks that believe him are scarier.

here comes the pow sob story…pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Agreed SteveW. I think these children were left behind.

4 day prep did not help Obama. Maybe for the next debate BHO needs to have a week prep – maybe 10 days to get ahead.
The trip to washington messed things up with regard to the preparation

If McCain wins we’ll be bankrupt and at war all over the world. No way will I vote for him. He’s scary.

A draw you’ve got to be kidding? Obama was a stammering, interupting mess.

McCain evaded direct answers and resorted continually to his Vietnam past and to things he did 25 years ago. He was addled, befuddled, and clearly an old codger. Obama clearly had the upper hand in knowledge on every issue and in ruling the debate totally. Obama won this debate, hands down. No question.

McCain reminds me of an old man recounting his travels. I think he is coming of badly. Why doesn’t Obama attack McCain on staying in Iraq forever.That as soon as we leave,Iraq will go back to what it was before. And why doesn’t Obama attack McCain on deregulation on Wall Street. And how the hell do you honor the dead by sending more to die for nothing.
Ex Republican

Kissinger agrees with Obama. McCain lied.
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/
September 15, 2008 6:16 PM
ABC News’ Rachel Martin Reports: Former U.S.Secretary of State Henry Kissinger today told an audience in Washington, DC that the U.S. should negotiate with Iran “without conditions” and that the next President should begin such negotiations at a high level.

Its so annoying how McCain continuously criticizes how Obama has little experience. McCain was unprepared for this debate because he continuously repeats his ideas by simply rephrasing them. Obama critically reviews the McCain’s history and uses it against McCain and his views on the issues introduced earlier. McCain completely fails at attempting to criticize Obama because towards the end of the debate, he “twists” Obama’s words and makes it seem like he knows better when in fact he needs to get a hearing check…

Palin has better grasp of
foreign ploicy than McCain.
The debate showed McCain is
disoriented and still living
in the Vietnam era.

Susan is right! We need a viable third party!
(I’m voting for one of the two guys we saw tonight, but I’d love to see someone who can pin down both of them on issues)

listening to George S of ABC…he sure is a democrat. Too bad ABC doesn’t have mnon-bias news reporting

actually, angry black democrat, that’s DISABLED veterans, not DEMOCRATIC.

McCain was scheduled to do a town hall with ABC Sunday morn George….as usual taking any questions from a mixed audience, like Hillary did. Why can’t BO grow a pair and do these things?
PLEASE WATCH JOHN McCAIN SUNDAY MORN ABC WITH GEORGE, IF HE DOESN’T FLY BACK TO D.C. FOR THE FINANCIAL PLAN THAT NEEDS TO BE IN PLACE BY MONDAY AM.

Alot of Americans just want more and more but, they dont realize where oil comes from and how this Country runs. They should realize how many cars and trucks they have in one house hold and ask them selfs why things are so high remember supply and demand the more u use it the higher it cost for u and everyone.. alot of people must remember on sept 11 we lost a trillion dollars the 1st day cause of the attack so all we are doing is bouncing back from that day and it takes awhile to recover in the financial market.

What the debate proved is
that Palin is better
qualified and more ready
than McCain.

McCain lost.

McCain mopped the floor with Obama. Obama came across as a clueless lightweight, while McCain came across as an expert.

Obama won. McCain needed a game changer and he didn’t get it. There were no “wow” moment from either candidate.
And if you watch cnn. Obama gained agmonst the independents and dems.
McCain among the republicans.

Gulianni is such a snake.

I dont know why people keep saying he’s to old when the saying goes “the older u are the wiser u are” so , isn’t that good just like a job when u apply its all about ur resume.

“I dont know why people keep saying he’s to old”
McCain’s age is definitely an issue, especially considering the bimbo he chose as his second in command to take over when he dies.

McCain has outlived his
time in presidential
politics. He had nothing
truthful, sane or worthwhile
to say in the debate.

Obama won the debate, hands down. McCain
will steal the rest of my money and give it to Wall St. How dumb do you have to be to still vote Republican? Scary and sad.

The advice of Obama’s associates Williams Ayers, Bernadine Dorhn, Rev. Wright comes through loud and clear. It’s the America-hating philosophy.

McCain’s argument that we have to stay in Iraq until we win is so useless and stupid. We can’t win a thing like Iraq! We never could and we were wrong to embark on this idiotic endeavor which has devoured our national treasure to our detriment. McCain convinced me all over again that he is going to continue Bush’s failed policies and add a few of his own.

Obama just wanted to get off that stage….he’s such a loafer….like when he was in Maui while Hillary was stumping for him all over the country.

All McCain talks about
is influenced by what he
saw during the Vietnam
era. He is the past.
Only in a dumbed down
America the Republican
party would put up a
nominee like him for POTUS.
Most lifeless and confused
performance by McCain to date.
Palin would have done better.

Lawyers are trained to see shades of grey, and I thought Obama did an excellent job portraying himself as someone who would not embark on an emotion-driven, black-or-white strategy in addressing issues, contrary to the way McCain was presenting himself. I felt they each revealed a critical difference in their approach to issues in this manner, one nuanced, the other potentially dangerous. This is not the same as saying that Obama portrayed himself as weak; he talked about killing bin Laden, not “bringing him to justice.”

After seeing the debate I now know whom I’m voting for Obama gets my vote!

Why do we have to stay in Iraq when they have a surplus of 79 billion dollars and we are having an economic meltdown?
That makes no sense!

“it will only get worse next week when Palin debates Biden.”
Amen to that! I myself cannot WAIT, especially after Palin’s train wreck of an interview with Katie Couric last night.

I thought McCain came across as condescending, sanctimonious, smug and superior. He tried to make Obama look insignificant. This man could be the face and the voice of our nation in the larger world. I am tired of knowing that we are percieved as the Bully and the Know It All among the world community. I am very much afraid McCain just reinforces that image.

I thought Obama presented himself as a true statesman. He was generous in his compliments while trying to find common ground. I loved Obama’s line, “I’ve got a bracelet too”. I was disappointed that Obama did not mention McCain’s erratic behavior. All in all, I thought it was a good debate.

i really don’t understand how anyone can be undecided. if you are undecided, you must not be paying attention.

What really interesting to point out is:
Obama INSISTED on the debate FIRST!
When McCain tried to fix the ECONOMY by doing his “ELECTED” job. Being a Senator and going back to DC to help resolve this issue since our Senate Democrap Leader Harry Reid annd the House Speaker “DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO”
Reid then turned/twisted around about not needing John McCain that they had come to an AGREEMENT, really?
Since Obama INSISTED on the debate, he got it and stumbled on over it!
That’s just prove Obama can’t handle it.
This i the PRIMARY reason why Obama can’t do the Townhall meetings since the question comes from an unexpected audience not from the teleprompters!

McCain fails. Someone buy him a hearing aid please. By the way did anyone else notice how he was slow at responding to the issues when he had first response? There were a few times when a large gap or silence stood between Jim’s voice and McCain’s voice.

It didn’t matter what they said. This silly spectacle was a pissing contest between two strutting apes. And Obama screwed it up by trying to interrupt McCain several times when Obama didn’t actually have the power to stop McCain from continuing. When you try to break in and the other guy ignores you and keeps saying whatever he wants to say he’s demonstrating dominance, and that’s all America really cares about.

“It has been confirmed that Kissinger does believe in negotiation without preconditions. Katie Couric announced that she called Kissinger and confirmed that he does advocate negotiation without preconditions. McCain either lied about this or didn’t know. He is quick to jump on things and be entirely wrong just as he said he wouldn’t debate until a compromise bailout was reached but here he was tonight. McCain is all bluster and posturing…he is the original loose cannon!”
Hah, McCain, knowing your friend, Kissenger for 35 years and you don’t know much about his political stance…
McCain Fails!
Obama 08

Obama clearly won this debate….no ifs ands or buts….All McCain kept saying, you don’t understand, you don’t understand,you don’t understand….All McCain talked about was back in the day and Ronald Reagan…..well, Ronald Reagan is dead so what is he going to do now?

“It has been confirmed that Kissinger does believe in negotiation without preconditions.”
That’s not the point! McCain said that Kiss never said that he believed that a PRESIDENT should engage in negotiations without preconditions, and those at the lower levels, Secs, etc, are encouraged to do so.

Hillary voter here; undecided.
No knock-downs, and I remain undecided. I thought Senator Obama’s answers had less factual and elaborative detail, but I thought he stuck to his theme of being forward-looking.
Tell your wife she’s wrong; the entire universe knows about the “seal.” This is important because it shows Senator McCain is not out of touch and knows what’s happening in popular culture.
I wonder how exciting or motivating this was to Obama’s youth followers, to see him being as much of a snooze as McCain. Also, I wonder if this will keep the left wing fired up. There are a lot of Americans who, frankly, are tired of war and want to retreat and rebuild inward. Many, many are voting for Senator Obama for that reason. It’s his most compelling argument and what would compel me to agree with him about. However, he painted a world view where America was as much or even more committed militarily that even Senator McCain. How will the anti-war crowd react; it would seem we’re going to be in perpetual war. I know it made me very, very tired to think that it’s endless.
While I think Senator Obama clearly seems prepared and did a good job, I think there were some non-verbals that may be troubling. There was way too many pursed lips and intense reactions to Senator McCain; he seemed very petulant and like the child who needed to be right and to have the right answer. Just not very compelling or courteous; I think Senator McCain wins the composed and poised points.
Bottom line; I saw no seering insight, brilliant ideas, or compelling reasons to vote for either candidate.
In the short term, I think this helps Senator McCain more than Obama because the narrative of the last 3 days has been so seeringly negative, portraying the Senator as a belligerent, irresponsible, volatile force who ripped the “negotiations” apart and “destroyed the deal.” He was anything but how he has been portrayed the last 3 days, and I think imminently more appealing than the press has portrayed. This may change what seemed to be the hysterical reaction is return to D.C. provoked. By being calm, sane, knowledgeable, and imminently reaonsable, he broke that line that’s being aggressively pushed by Senator Obama’s campaign.
The clear winner here: Senator Clinton, who seems even more appealing and likable by her absence.

I don’t why McCain adopts that snotty tone of voice and sneers condescendingly about his wise old age and everything he just sorta knows.
He’s been around 26 years and he’s obviously not been able to make dramatic inroads on a country level. So it comes across snotty when he tries to belittle Obama.
My respect for McCain is for the things he has done in the past as a Senator – the stands he took which he unfortunately abandoned.
I can’t believe he had the nerve to bring up that he disagreed with Bush about torture when he caved on water boarding… he mentioned some of his other mavericks stands he abandoned.
it’s sad, McCain humiliates himself. not to mention how he’s humiliated himself with his foolish veep pick.

McCain is right – the general theme of the debate

“Obama’s concern for the troops of our nation can be summed up not by anything he said, but by the fact that he had to look at a bracelet he was given by a fallen soldier’s mother because he did not know the person’s name! “I have a bracelet, too” absolutely does not cut it. As a veteran, I find that incredibly insulting… almost like he was given the bracelet, tossed it in a drawer, and brought it along with him just in case McCain had one. McCain by the way knew the soldier’s name and even showed the mother, if she was watching, he was wearing it not just for the first time. As for the statement that “No soldier ever dies in vain”, I sure would feel like my time and experiences there, not to mention the deaths of close friends, were completely in vain. Personally, if I thought it might actually happen, I would demand an apology from Obama. I sincerely hope someone who professes to care about each and every soldier at war, but obviously does not care enough to at least look at the name on the damn bracelet even once, will not be elected to office. That one soldier can signify just how much Obama cares about the “average” citizen. Does anyone agree?”
How are you so sure that McCain knew the name, for all we know he could have made it up.
Understand that these two candidates meet several hundreds of people daily and give them some slack if their memory is dull.

McCain is dangerous. He’s
the one who brought you Iraq.
He assured you it would be
easy. He does succeed in
fooling low education voters.
They find him reassuring.
Now expect to hear the
same kind of lies and propaganda
about Russia that they told you
about Vietnam and Iraq.
McCain will not tell you the
truth. The rising tensions
with Russia stem from NATO
expansion. NATO broke its word
to the Russians given at
the time of the dissolution
of the Soviet Union. The
Russians were assured that
there would be no NATO
expansion east of West Germany
once the Soviet troops pulled
out of eastern Europe. They
were told that NATO would
not place its military
infrastructure even in
East Germany. Russian responses
to NATO expansion are not a
surprise to those who know the
facts.

MCCAIN SLAM DUNK!! MANY NEWS CHANNELS ARE SAYING THAT OBAMA WON. DO THEY THINK WE ARE STUPID?

OBAMA POWER, that’s what I say. Pretty impressive. TOUGH AND SINCERE, as good ole Bill O’Reilly said after getting to know him.
And McCain did quite well, but: no energy, living and thinking in the past sense, trying to sound like grandpa who has seen it all before.
This country clearly needs Barack Obama for President, no doubt about it.

McCain never stopped to let Obama have a word to correct McCain’s criticism because McCain knew that his criticism was false and was trying to stall so that Obama would not have a chance to correct McCain’s error.
McCain Fails.
Obama 08.

Two moments:
1. Lessons from the war: Obama has it right. The critical decision is to go. Then he blows it. The critical American value lost was non-preemption. Our not being a first strike nation regardless of our power was the value we prized and for which we are admired. The lesson is the Bush Doctrine while tactical is not strategic. Instead, Obama talked about the effect on the economy and my wife muttered, “Bean Counter!” and the list he followed with followed that line of thinking.
He had a choice to make points on values but left them on the table for money. McCain was able to recover with the “not the decision the next President has to make. When to leave and what to leave behind are” which is exactly right and a smart way to get out of answering the question.
2. “I looked into Putin’s eyes and I saw three letters, a K and a G and a B”.
Classic straight talk McCain. Funny and understandable.
A wash except in style points. McCain looked old but deeply passionate about what he cared about. Obama looked young but easily irritated.
McCain wins this one but not by a knockout.

Greenback, Obama may have had his ups and downs on the issues, but McCain never took a step. He’s ancient to the bones… All his responses to the issues were practically the same if not making false notions of Obama’s responses.

For some reason, I seriously doubt McCain made up that name. As one who spent time in a POW camp, I’m sure he knows what it means for someone, if only a single person, to remember the sacrifice you make. And do not get me wrong, I’m not voting for McCain simply because he spent time in a POW camp, though the fact that he sacrificed that much for this country does weigh on my decision a little, even if jut for the simple reason that McCain has seen what bare essentials of survival truely are. Our society has become decadent and lazy, and it will take someone with that kind of experience to run this country.

Vanessa you’re full of it. FOX DID NOT SAY BO WON. Go watch your channel MSNBC.

The lower your education level
the more reassuring you are likely
to find McCain.
He’s now engaged in mischief
in Russia’s backyard – Georgia
and Ukraine. For no reason at
all. Without any thought as to
why it is in our long-term
national interests to alienate
Russia.

Obama agrees with the pro…8 times he said John is right, and 7 times McCain said Sen. Obama is wrong.
Watch McCain do a televised town hall on Sunday NO SCRIPT, NO PROMPTER, mixed audience, with ABC THIS WEEK, George S.
Why is Obama afraid to talk to the people…off the cuff? Questions have to be screened.
Obama rehearsed well this past week…like a good college kid, the ones he panders to.

I don’t see why it’s a problem for one candidate to agree and support the other candidate’s idea while including his views of the idea.

Be very aware….Obama campaign emailing bots to use this new spin….McCain stuck in past, not about change now….YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR THIS OVER AND OVER…Biden was given his talking points and this is what Col. Axlerod has put together….get out there and say McCain is stuck in past…..say it often enough.
Obama crammed very well for his “test”.

Rick, I noticed and it started to annoy me how McCain kept having the last words for the majority of the issues…

And Obama’s wealth is not decadent? Please. I’ll say it again… At least McCain knows what it like to barely survive. Anyone who has experienced combat knows that feeling,and he was in a freaking POW camp! If you ask me, McCain is ENTITLED to multiple cars and houses. He has sacrificed for them. Might I ask what you have done for your country Mary Jane?

Thank you Mary Jane. I finally see someone who also notices what I noticed.

Cnn poll (not the website poll). 51% Obama wins debate 38% McCain wins debate.
Enough said.

They’re both kind of boring in debates and they obviously don’t like each other. I thought McCain did okay in the beginning and then he started rambling about the past and going off topic. It came across like he was an old man literally telling old war stories.
Obama has been talking about ways to fix the economy, create jobs, and improve our relations and security around the world in every speech that he’s given, so I wasn’t exactly awed or blown away by what he said since I’d heard it before. Boring as it was, at least he’s known we’ve had a problem for longer than the last few days. Since McCain was saying that the economy is fundamentally strong until a couple of days ago, I can understand why it came as quite a shock to him and he thought he better rush to Washington.

A few times McCain had a
weird wide grin on his
face. Looked like a madman.

McCain trounced Obama in the debate. McCain was specific and could point to real accomplishments. He connected with viewers. Obama talked a good game, but he was vague because he has a slim record.

Just wondering, if anyone is able to come across my question: Is it possible that the age difference between the two candidates express the extent of achievements between them?

McCain is mean. Obama is intelligent – but who will win? Obama needs to get a little more ‘aggressive.’

McCain has zero accomplishments
for his 26 years in the senate.
He and Bush are directly
responsible for the twin debacles
of this still young 21st century -
Iraq and the seismic quake on
Wall street. Now the jokers
are in Georgia and Ukraine
taunting the Russians.

I believe it’s essential for the Presidential candidates to clearly demonstrate an understanding of the complexity and interconnectedness of the world, what America’s role in it is, and how U.S. decisions and actions reverberate in multiple ways. Sorry, McCain, but we are no longer in the good guys/bad guys world of Eisenhower. Knowing the exact state of each foreign country and how you would address it is less important than making it clear to voters that you have the capacity to think globally. In which case, Obama won hands down.

I don’t know what debate some of you watched, but polls out from independents say:
Obama won: 40%
Tie: 38%
McCain: 22%
Obama WAS THE CLEAR WINNER! If McCain can’t win a debate on foreighn policy, it’s GAME OVER folks.

It all comes down to independents. CBS post-debate poll from independents:
Who won the debate?
Obama 40%
Tie 38%
McCain 22%
If McCain can’t win a debate on foreign policy…

In the next two presidential
debates, Sarah Palin should
stand in for John McCain.
She’ll do a much better job.

CNN debate poll (not website poll) Obama 51 McCain 38
On whom won the debate.

Greenback
I think that Fox has done a better job even though Im a democrat that says something

Obama uses too many words…too hard to understand….too nuanced. McCain gets right to the point….I just don’t “hear” the way Obama talks.
FOX viewers texted and McCain won hands down 82% to 15%, but of course Obama supporters watch MSNBC and CNN.

McCain Never Said “Middle Class” During Debate…
McCain couldn’t explain why you give tax breaks to the rich…
Obama explained why McCain’s health cuts are BS.. Give with one hand take away with the other!
Obama spanked McCain on going into Iraq..
Obama is the winner!

The Nile isn’t just a river in Egpyt.
Obama fanatics are sorely sad.
McCain took the night.

The last 5 years McCain has
been engaged in dinning
the strategic importance
of Iraq into the heads of
Republicans.
Bush and McCain have gained
nothing strategically from
the Iraq war. Iran and Iraq
are now closer than ever.
The war has enhanced Iran’s
influence in the Middle East.

CNN’s poll has all Obama winning overall, on the economy and on Iraq:
Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?
Obama 51%
McCain 38%
Who Would Better Handle Economy?
Obama 58%
McCain 37%
Who Would Better Handle Iraq?
Obama 52%
McCain 47%
CBS News instant poll finds:
40% of uncommitted voters who watched the debate tonight thought Barack Obama was the winner. 22% thought John McCain won. 38% saw it as a draw.
68% of these voters think Obama would make the right decision
about the economy. 41% think McCain would.
49% of these voters think Obama would make the right decisions about Iraq. 55% think McCain would.
Two focus groups, one by GOP pollster Frank Luntz and another by Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg, both declared Obama the winner. Independents in the MediaCurves focus group “gave the debate to Obama 61-39. They also think he won every individual segment. Republicans gave the debate to McCain 90-10, Democrats to Obama 93-7.”
And even Time’s Mark Halperin weighs in with his grades: Obama A-, McCain B-.

I heard there is an ad out immediately, that has Obama agreeing with McCain eight times and McCain saying Obama is wrong 7 times. I’d love to hear that loop over and over and over with “I’m John McCain and I approve this message”.

I enjoy old stories at appropriate times. In the middle of a debate about the future direction of our country is not the time to reminisce. I’d be happy to sit down and drink iced tea with McCain while he tells me Reagan and Eisenhower stories while the man with the vision and the plan for the future runs the country.

I was and am a Sen. clinton supporter.
but since she in not in this-I am for obama.
on the debate:
obama won, hands down,
since no one else will say it, obama will say it for us.
“iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.”
if you want to know why everything is so high now for the american people
why just about every facet of our lives is going down the drain you can thank
george bush and the rep. party, and that includes john mccain.
it was not enough for all of the people who lost their lives on 9/11,
bush and co. had to put all of the chips in the iraq basket. kill more of our soldiers than people killed on 9/11
not to mention all the broken up, disfigured ones coming back home.
and all of the iraq people, killed and disfigured,and displaced.
no bush and co. last finger up to the american people is to reck our economy.
if you are an american citizen, and suffering or you can see suffering on the horizion, you can thank
george bush and his administration. and John Mccain.
citizens, do not reward this misuse of power-no mccain/palin presidency.
mccain has already started the covert, karl rove tactics, with the mess of keeping palin from the press.
which should not be see has keeping her from the press, but from the american people.
we don’t know her, and what we do know of her, is only cause for more questions and concern.
the choice should be clear,
mccain is to old, and palin is not ready.
do the right thing, citizens, for at least four years think about yourselves, and make it light on yourself, your family, and your wallet.
take a break from the butt whipping we have taken from the bush govt.
” no way, no how, no mccain”

Kathy Indp,
Well, after Obama’s interview with O’Reilly, O’Reilly grudgingly said Obama was a tough guy, and when you talk to him, you can see he’s sincere.
Haha.

jgaw
I’m an Independent I planed to vote for Hillary then McCain and made my mind up then he picked palin then he did these stunts with the economy after this debate Im voting Obama!

McCain = B
Obama = B+
Both landed a few jabs but I think overall Obama landed the harder punches.

Kissinger put out a press release that Obama misrepresented him and he’s not happy. HE IS WITH McCAIN ON THIS! Be real clear…BO blew it with his Kissinger comment!
A Penn. caller in a DEM area who were all for Hillary are very much for McCain. 21 electoral votes in PA up for grabs…and this guy sounds like his DEM area is not voting BO.

Kathy…wrong dear…Fox is more balance than MSNBC and a cut above CNN although they are being more bipartisan. Hannity will always be the odd man out but Bill O is approaching some midway takes … I watch them all to see how the soundbites and quotes or patial quoates are spun. Not a Fan just a realist.

Kissinger said he supported ENGAGING IRAN instead of tying up so many preconditions that cannot get fulfilled and end up not talking to them at all as McCain would rather, it seems. He and Obama, however, differ a bit on the specifics.
He just said his stand was compatible with McCain’s not that Obama misquoted him.

calling people racist isnt goingto help Obama win the election most times its a gut reaction for people that helps them decide and Obama turned my stomach a long time ago”
They may say they will not vote for Obama even though they never would do so in the first place. But they will let you know that calling them out as racists has cost you their vote.

who really cares about kissenger, anyway? (any press is better than no press” this is kissengers last dance, and he will try to stay on the floor as long as he cans.
for those who say obama turns their stomach. he might do that
but it is mcain who is going to (and has to) turn your wallet upside down and empty it.
mccain will be alright with you and i losing our one home, because he has at least five or more he can go to.
Citizens-don’t let john mccain move into the last house you have got.

Greenback,
Don’t you agree certain things McCain says make some sense even if his policies don’t? Obama is just showing he’s flexible and also acknowledging McCain, but later he goes on to point out how they differ.
McCain: Obama DOESN’T UNDERSTAND/GET IT!
It was a platform for him to lay out his policies to voters. He instead spent too much time attacking Obama, using stupid jibes like “Miss Congeniality” (twice), Obama, however ignored him and didn’t take the bait.
I was waiting for him to detail out his policies and expound on them but he didn’t. And this is supposed to be McCain’s stronger area. Obama proved he knew his foreign policy.

At best, to be as objective as possible, McCain achieved a tie, which under the circumstances is a fail.

It’s interesting–I thought McCain looked mean, old and out of touch. I though Obama wasn’t tough enough. Then I talked to my mom, a conservative republican. She was so unimpressed and bored she said she starting flipping around and back to the debates. I was also shocked that she hadn’t heard or seen anything about the Palin/Couric interview. And she is by no means a low info voter. She pays attention. It really makes me wonder what in all this makes it out into the ether.

I saw rivulets of sweat running down the left side of Obama’s face.
And Obama was rattled by the business of “meeting without preconditions”.And VERY bad move trying to invoke Kissinger. That’ll backfire.
They switch to Russia he seemed to start floundering.Obama was sweating mroe heavily and seems to be having trouble controlling his facial expressions.

McCain lacks sincerity.
Gimmicks, stunts,
grandstanding and
fabricating lies to win
the moment form the
basis of campaign.
He’s not presidential
timber. He’s downright
dangerous. Like a
pyromaniac who gets his
thrills from settings
things on fire, McCain
gets his thrills from
starting wars and watching
the economy tailspin.

McCain lacks sincerity.
Gimmicks, stunts,
grandstanding and
fabricating lies to win
the moment form the
basis of his campaign.
He’s not presidential
timber. He’s downright
dangerous. Like a
pyromaniac who gets his
thrills from settings
things on fire, McCain
gets his thrills from
starting wars and watching
the economy tailspin.

all polls say obama rocked it! none for mccain …

Obama did not win that is VERY clear.

yes, mccain a lot of the times just looked “###### off”
we should all just face it.
John mccain is not the future of this country for so many reason’ on so many levels. and palin has not got the good.
he may have shocked us all with picking palin. but to me it was just a political stunt.
just as he tried to suspend his campaign and not attend the debate,
and then had to show up.
i was not impressed with is talk of all of the old heads he has known.
so we have mr. Mccain-trying to impress us with reaching back into his memory bank and talking about the past.
and sarah “I’ll have to get back to you on that one” Palin.
the choice is clear,
between Mccain/palin and obama/biden.
obama/biden for any chance for american to get back on the right track.
in this debate tonight mccain proved
he has no real vision for the future
even his debating style is old, (stuff of trying to come up with one line “zingers”) and not helpful to the voter who wants to make an educated decision about who to vote for.
that kind of stuff worked back in the day-when you could get in a good memorable one liner,to give people something to laugh about. our country had a better standing in the world, and a larger cushion to sit on here at home.
Now, thanks to bush and co, including mccain-the world and anyone who wants see the term always associated with america (superpower) is up for grabs, and some would love to see us fall.
no the american voter does not need one line memorable zingers- that entertain us.
we need thought out educated answers.
the choice is clear for our future
obama/biden

One more thing! I don’t believe in these flash polls, focus groups etc. It takes a people a few dys to make up their minds after they sleep on it.
The only ones here are us political junkies. The rest of the country watched baseball or has gone to sleep.
People will make up their minds slowly. After all is said and done, I am convinced people will conclude that while Obama is a talented poliician that he is simply not ready to be president in an uncertain time.

Obama is not my candidate, but I have to give him props for being well rehearsed and putting in all the practice hours he did with a play “John McCain” right down to facial expressions, I heard. He really studied and worked hard to get his answers and talking points, but I don’t want an actor for Prez. I want a guy with a lifetime of experience and service to this country….period the end.

If McCain debated Palin
she’d win hands down.

SRK @1:07 IS DEAD ON.

“with Biden by his side he won’t need on the job training”….scariest post of the night by Indyvoter. Thank God, Americans vote top of the ticket 100% of the time.

DLM
thats right! and we dont know that Biden will be the second in command on election day due to his erratic behavior

Well, there was a lot going on, but Kissinger just reported that Obama was dead wrong and McCain was right…

I think Palin’s behaviour is far worse.
We may not be buddy-buddy with Russia but I think most Americans would balks at the thought of starting a Russian-American war.
I don’t Putin will take kindly to a woman who seemed to have likened him to a fugitive or some sort of animal.
I thought you all were saying Obama will be stammering throughout the debate? Didn’t see that and he managed to land some punches too.
Come on, let’s muddle through Afghnistan! We may be lucky enough to come out in one piece and catch Osama.

DHC
Mccain did the grandstandign because Obama and axelrod were determined to pin the failed negotiation on Mccain so he changed his plans and wentto washington to talk to the house republicans which appareltly worked… as Jesse jackson said in the SNL skit in 84 … “the question is moot!”

Does anyone else tink that Obama saying I gotta bracelete too and then having to look down while saying um ah to read the soliders name because he couldn’t remember it a big deal?
I think it might be.

Mac attacks. Barack bumbles.
Posted by: John | Sep 27, 2008 1:24:14 AM
========================================
I guess you are not old enough to understand the phrase “float like a butterfly, STING like a bee.”
Am I right?
Who was the winner in this famous fight John???
Ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no big deal about the braclet,
Mccain should have left it out also.
bigger things to deal with, right now,
bush and co, including mccain, put all of the chips in the iraq basket, and now we are all suffer for it.
and will suffer four more years if mccain palin won.
for the dead soldiers, their moms,and all of us who wear braclets or not
obama/biden

I haven’t heard anyone mention the one line that actually got a responce from the audience tonight. McCain’s responce about Obama meeting with Iran, saying Iran was going to wipe Israel off the map and then the US saying “No your not.” I would think the line that elicited the most responce from a rather quiet audience would be mentioned in some political commentary.

All you Obama lovers should be watching Diane Sawyer on ABC doing a soft bio piece. CNN and FOX have done much better with theirs. He’s talking about his college floundering days now. He’s not my candidate, but sometimes I feel sorry for him as he got a bad deal with the family he was dealt. Both dad and mom abandoned him.
Same old two women who are the only ones that ever allow interviews…all BO associates off limits from college days. WHERE ARE HIS CHARACTER WITNESSES?

the pundits, and talking heads would love to get the american voter focused on one-liners from the debate.
that shows we are on auto-pilot and not thinking about what would be in our best interest this election.
working class and poor people the choice is clear-if you want to help yourself
obama/biden

jgaw
but maybe putting your country befire your own interests is best at this unique time! Al Gore put his country first in 2000 even though he DID win the election… and had he asked for a statewide FL recount wouldve been president

all in all an as President Bush might say:
‘an instersing debate’…. really not much of a debate, both men reciting well worn messages for most of the night… both men seemed a lil bit tense at the beginning…. wasn’t until the much later stages of the event that some ‘close quarter’ almost conversing with each other happened….
I believe that anyone watching and listening could take exceptions with either man as to points presented depending on one’s political affiliation….but….
as Obama did not look out of place and gave as good as he got.. he achieved a main goal as being thought of as President.
Mission Accomplished

They are talking about pulling McCain’s shoulders up out of the sockets, and being beaten and broken for three days and laying in his own blood and waste….on the fourth day he gave up (he would have been beaten to death). My God, what’s a debate when this man has endured so much. He has looked death in the eye three times….he has been spared for a higher calling. I believe this. I also know my candidate would rather lose an election and put his country first….I KNOW THAT, and feel good that my guy doesn’t put ego first.

My friend is Cuban and is very dark in her complexion she get this so much about her being for Mccain and her appearance look liek Obama so she is racist. It is crazy. She do not like Obama. Why vote for him because they look similar? She cannot talk about this to her friend for Obama. She lies for fear they will be angry.

Laura
its not just Iraq 24/7 now so find another issue and afganistan yest its gettign worse but do we have enough soldiers to send there? NO! and are we in command there? NO! we are doing independant raids across the border

mchooverville
that wasnt a smirk.. and Obamas smile at Mccains jabs was perceived as condecending and whether you look into the eyes of the opposing candidate or not is irrelevant, if you look down constantly thats a bad sign psychologically for Obama and otherwise

Just finished watching 20/20 Diane Sawyer doing a bio piece on both candidates (might be the second installment) but they continue next week with the wives and man, Michelle really needs a new look.
It’s always so hard for them to fit all the McCain history into such a little amount of time, and to find fluff and filler for Obama’s.

Obama is now stuck with
NATO expansion and
deteriorating relations
with Russia.
George Bush Sr. wanted
nothing to do with the
idea. The Pentagon opposed
it. Bill Clinton proposed
it in early 1994. So
it is the Democrats who
started this thing when
Russia was down after
the collapse of the
Soviet Union. Clinton
pushed for expansion
although NATO had assured
Gorbachev that it would
not expand east of West
Germany including guarantees
that NATO would not
put military installations
and troops even in East
Germany.

stanium:
re: “wishful thinking”
we’ll know soon….
Mission tonight very much Accomplished

McCain did not look at Obama that is true but that means nothing to me. Obama lost this debate. Even if I were an Obama supporter I would have to say that. I liked HRC and I even admitted when she faltered.
Getting back to his supporters. Obama’s. These people, are very intense and in a frightening way. They sling racism around, they lie and will do anything to get Obama in blindly so.

stanium:
“pundits’ ?
is that where you get your ‘info’?
election is near…. voters will decide…..
Mission Accomplished

The best part was how Obama tried to say Kissinger agreed with a US President meeting with Pres. of Iran without preconditions, THEN John McCain came back with “Henry Kissinger has been my friend for 35 years”… and showed Obama to be lying.

staniem,
the american people and our needs ARE the country.
If we go with mccain and continue the bush course, of all the chips in iraq.
we will have no country to put first.
we the american people are the country.
the working class people of american fund the whole world.
the people in other countries who pay next to nothing for their meds can do so, because we the working class of america pay so much.
so staniem, whether we say our interest or country. we are both.

Greenback
yep and Kissinger someone reported on the blog tonight , came back and said Obama was wrong! He would say that since he is a nixon republican but its laughable how the Obamabots dont get the country first thing… its like then governor Clinton had a book out “putting people first” hes telling the american people hes more calm and more experienced to be president and contrary to popular opinion the 35 yrs of experience thing works it did for hillary in PA in PR in OH in TX etc etc

I thought it was pretty much a draw. I was disappointed that Obama wasn’t stronger about the decline of our international prestige over the last eight years (and by implication his unique ability to correct that), and that he didn’t match McCain on any kind of commitment to cut runaway federal spending (what a great way that would have been to outflank McCain to the right). I also hate that both candidates seem more interested in poking the Russians in the eye than in preserving US interests, which might not always line up with those of countries like Latvia and Georgia (we seem to be forgetting the history of Germany’s perceived humiliation after World War One). But Obama clearly passed the Commander-in-Chief, and struck me as a more measured and sensible leader, less likely to get the country into yet another nasty mess abroad.
McCain that had more that he needed to accomplish tonight, like explaining what the hell he’s been doing the past two days, and delivering a strong blow to Obama on his strong suit of foreign policy. This was like the home team in hockey getting only a draw, when they need a win to reach the playoffs. Obama should be happy to have played it safe and held his own. Nevertheless, it’s been amply obvious to me for some time that I don’t see things the way the great American electorate sees them, so probably 90% of the population will perceive this totally differently.
Props to the audience for being so well behaved, and to Jim Lehrer for actually asking some substantive questions.

pacific moderate
exactly… it was a perect debate with a perfect moderator and behaved audience

that was innapropriate the isue is not old vs young its about experience vs change and experience won

The liar McCain can never
win a debate. You don’t
win a debate with lies.
People who know facts
saw the debate – McCain
got trashed.

anon, Obama was the one who lied during the debate. He did tell the truth 8 times when he admitted that John was right.

stan…I agree with you, because experience for this toughest job in the world SHOULD BE TOP PRIORITY…however, Hillary used the “experience” line, and look where it got her. I do think BO was singled out early on to be the guy they push to the finish line, partly BECAUSE he is black.
I do think this might be a generational election….it won’t be black vs. white, or man vs. women….but if every ignorant young person comes out from their parents basement and the turn out of newly registered voters is great….it will be Obama’s. I’m hoping everyone is adult, like me, and makes the smart choice…McCAIN/PALIN.

Remember Pakistan had nuclear weapons in 1999. Did McCain believe that there was a failed state that possessed nuclear weapons? If he did he showed no concern at the time. The fact is McCain made a huge gaffe and demonstrated he has little understanding if the region.

Eric
it was Bushs war and Mccain tried counsel Bush so that doesnt make Mccain wrong

DLM
yep at that point it will go from one uninformed 1 issue electorate to another… people knew Bush was wrong in 2004 yet they voted him in… Gore was right with populism in 2000 and we would not have had this 8 yrs… blame donna brazile for that one(talk abotu nappy headed!)

Donna Brazille has said that any poll of Obama’s has to have 3 points shaved off for the “Bradley effect”. It will be interesting to see those that say they’ll vote BO on the phone and those that don’t in the booth.

How is that that John McCain could be so disrespectful to our military,..
he did not have an American flag lapel pin on during the debate.
That certainly is not ‘putting country first’!
It is an affront to the troops

Stan,
For me it is less that I blame Sen. McCain for the war its more that I look at how the world looks at us now and I am worried that Sen. NcCain will do little to bring us back to being the beacon to the world that we should be.

Patriot….McCain doesn’t have to prove he’s Pro-American, Patriot war hero…..he is, therefore doesn’t need the pin. However, Obama campaign trashed the flags after his Colorado rock concert and painted over the American flag on his jet before his world tour…with his “O” symbol like his friend Oprah.

DLH
not wearing a flag lapel pin is disrespectful to our military….. why would McCain not support the troops? Everyone around the world who saw the debate will know that McCain didn’t wear the flag pin……… does he still say the pledge or had he abandoned that too?

The more I see and hear from McCain, the more I like him. It would be great to have a competent President. I really don’t care that he’s a Republican just as long as he’s competent. And McCain is certainly that. I have never voted GOP before but Mccain will be my first time doing so.

By the way, I like Palin and am going to a rally for here in Carson CA on Oct. 4, day after her debate.

DLM:
DO YOU GET IT ?
McCain was born in Panama… is he really American? McCain has nothing to prove?, why, because you say so… ROTFLMAO
It’s a clear signal, him not wearing the flag pin.
People really are missing the point about McCain’s failure to look at Obama. McCain was afraid of Obama. It was really clear–look at how much McCain blinked in the first half hour. In monkey behaviorial studies –low ranking monkeys don’t look at high ranking monkeys. In a physical, instinctive sense, Obama owned McCain tonight and I think the instant polling reflects that.

Patriot….Obama was sweating like a pig….and stammering as usual. Accept it….he studied up good and rehearsed with a guy who seriously “played” McCain. How bad is that…..HOURS IN A FLORIDA HOTEL ROOM. McCain just breezes in and rattles off WHAT HE KNOWS, no rehearsals – class in debate 101. It took Obama days to do his rap tonight and overall I’d give him a B-, BUT I STILL DON’T TRUST HIM TO BE MY PRES.
And lay off the flag pin. McCain would never have to wear one…HE HAS SERVED THIS COUNTRY AND ALMOST DIED 3 TIMES FOR IT….HIS FAMILY HISTORY OF SERVICE GOES BACK 100 YEARS, AND EVEN TO GENERAL WASHINGTO. Obama’s goes back to goat herders in Kenya.

3 days in seclusion being coached on how to debate foreign policy $600,00.00
Hiring a skilled debate faux opponent to practice with $300,000.00
Research assistants to feed you information on every topic imaginable $250,000.00
Being outsmarted by John McCain, your opponent so that you are unable to make use of any of it just before the big debate….PRICELESS
Vote John McCain!

DLM
lots of service people were wounded, POWs,
doesn’t make them qualified to be president….
your own Republicans said the flag lapel pin was a symbol of love of country, it says something that McCain shows his disdain for the flag by not wearing it

Greenback….where did you get those prices? I know he had coaching and days of practice (and he has improved since Hillary, but not enough)…did you get those fees somewhere legit?
Think if he did something else with that money like give it to Galvaston hurricane victims.
What a waste of money. I do want to see the “actor” who played McCain tho…so does my hubby. He said he heard the guy was even requested to McCain facial expressions…CRAZY.

Both men did well tonight, but Obama did better. Obama focused on issues; McCain focused on insults. Obama remained calm and appeared presidential. McCain looked frantic and angry. His refusal to speak to Obama looked mean-spirited, petty, and rude. Not presidential.
________________________________________
McCain insulted no one. Obama lost the debate hands down.
Obama reminds me so much of George Bush. Bush always appears as if he has better things to do then a debate or a news conference. This is the way Obama comes across, less engaged, more in a hurry to say his own piece. This comparison alone to Bush’s habits and demeanor shut me down.
I often feel this way when engaging with people I would rather not. Shifting, gazing into air, totally tuned out. Obama does this all the time. Not a good thing. McCain at least has his issues down pat. His experience alone puts him head and shoulders above the neophyte Obama.
The look on Obama’s face was defeat.

Yep, patriot I feel bad you you Obama supporters. What can I say man? Obama really stunk tonight.Like I said you guys got some rethinking to do. Obama needs to study more I guess.

Fannie Mae executive VP is one of Obama’s debate prep people…..how perfect is that?

So much is made of Obama’s intelligence and education that you would think he would make mental mincemeat of McCain.
Yet, he doesn’t…..far from it. Obama seems to know very little about history. Especially his own history. He talks so little about his past accomplishments it’s hard to gauge how he would govern in the future.
McCain gave example after example of what he’s done in the past, both rights and wrongs, how it would guide his presidency. His knowledge of history was very impressive.
Also, the way the two candidates ended the debate was stark.
McCain ends on a positive note saying he has the experience to heal past relations with his enemies (a reference to Vietnam) and lead this country.
Obama ends on a negative note telling Americans “hey, nobody really likes us anymore.”
That’s not what I want to hear coming from a potential POTUS.

DLM
what neighborhood in LA? Im in North Carolina but I have relatives in all parts parts of the LA area area and san Jose

sheryl
good points.. the obamabots hate this but, Obama is just like George W Bush in temperment and in ignoring history… Mccain was on the right side of history as obama is fond of saying the opposite…what goes around comes around remember 2000

In polite society when you discuss issues with someone and you agree with one of their points, do you just dismiss them or do you say “I agree with you”…But here is my view.
That shows you are willing to be bi-partisan and work with other peoples views…that is how things get done.
I found the dismissal of Obama by McCain, condescending and lack of respect.
At least Obama stayed on subject, unlike McCain who had to tell us over and over again his stump speeches.
If he is so into the veterans as he says he is, why do they grade him a D and Obama with a B…also stating that McCain has voted against them 43 times.
Do your homework it is on the veteran sites.
Obama/Biden ’08
And is it not a shame that for as far as we think we have come, the further we have to go.

Obama won the debate hands down I cant belive anyone thinks otherwise McCain is a tool.
This will be my first Democratic vote Obama was right Iraq had nothing to do with 911..
Get the terroists and finish the job!
Obama has my vote this time!

I think it says something when even a Fox News poll gave the debate to Obama.
One of the major sentiments seems to be that people felt Obama was cool, calm and collected, and behaved like a President- being diplomatic and saying that McCain wasn’t completely wrong. McCain, aside from the content of his speech, what bothered me was that he did not look at Obama the whole time- even when he was rebutting a point. However, Obama would look at him when he was addressing issues, and paid attention to McCain when he was speaking.
McCain, you don’t have to smirk so much when Obama says something you don’t agree with. Even for McCain, he was saying lots of weird stuff, about the height difference between South and North Koreans?
And did he have to say the Mr/Miss (?) Congeniality thing twice? Obama didn’t take the bait though. Actually McCain, I think if our next president appears more genial and a gentleman, it would make us look less like a bully or imperialist.

sheryl
well said!

Belittle?
McCain completely twisted Biden and Obama’s words out of context over his
“Disrespectful” ad about “Sexism” against Palin.
Please Palin, stop that. It’s pathetic to see a fellow woman behaving in such a manner.
Obama did not belittle McCain for not being able to type. He attacked him mainly for his LACK OF ENTHUSIASM for keeping up with the times. Look, even quadriplegics and paralysed people have learnt to use the computer with adaptative devices- not like McCain can’t afford one. McCain is lucky, lots of soldiers didn’t come back from the Viet Cong in one piece or with all their limbs attached.
McCain, you didn’t behave like a president in this debate. Obama was diplomatic, giving you credit, yet all you said was “Obama just doesn’t understand! Obama is not getting it!”
So much for bi-partisanship when you didn’t even bother look Obama in the eye when he respectfully listened to you.

Okay, you’re right, I suppose he could have been implying that. But McCain shouldn’t be using the POW-I-got-tortured-by-the-Viet-Cong thus I can’t type.
McCain started the mudslinging first, insinuating that Obama wanted to teach children comprehensive sex-ed in a bid to make Obama look like a danger to children when it was actually for the children to learn just enough to know when they’re getting molested.
I admit Obama’s ads haven’t been completely clean, but I say McCain is far worse. He started the mudslinging first-he had it coming. The Democrats are determined not to get swift boated this year, why should they let McCain get away with everything?

staniam,
I really don’t know people say Obama is elitist. He had to work his butt off to get into the Ivy League. He had an absent father and was raised by his mother and grandparents-and later also his step-father. McCain’s father was a high ranking military officer.
McCain and Cindy have 13 cars. Do you have 13 cars and 7 houses too?
Obama and Michelle have only one house and only one car, for the record.
I am not necessarily saying McCain is elitist, just that he has no business saying Obama is elitist.

Grey Matter
Obama on foodstamps was not a permanent thing… he went to private schools he was born a muslim because his father was one… that changed ofcourse but thats true…obama is twisting things to get elected and I will not stand for anything other than 100 percent moral clarity from him

I recall if he got into the private schools or the Ivy League or whatever, it was on scholarships.
I don’t know how long Obama was on food stamps, but he certainly wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
I respected the John McCain in 2000. I respected the John McCain during his RNC speech. I thought the other speakers were very divisive. I though Palin was very snide, and that McCain should have gotten a better rating for his speech then her and didn’t understand why people said McCain did terrible. I was moved by how his time in Vietnam affected him. I didn’t agree with his stand, but I thought he was a decent person.
But after the whole lipstick on a pig thing, the sex-ed thing, the blatant lies and half-truths, I don’t respect him anymore. His smirking and laughing-or at least looked like he was going to do so when Obama was talking was pretty childish and unpresidential. He went on the Mr Congeniality jibe.
I saw he wasn’t wearing a flag pin. Funny, Obama was wearing one. I normally wouldn’t use this to quantify someone’s patriotism, but they way they lit onto Obama for not wearing one was silly, and now McCain doesn’t wear one.

Obama was constantly defending himself. He was constantly off-balance. He stood there and made faces. Obama tried repeatedly to interrupt McCain. He called McCain “John” several times.
McCain had command of history and facts. With each question Obama fell into his litany of talking points and platitudes. Obama answered few questions.

Obama is risky, scary and too inexperienced.
Our country is in such turmoil.
Young Americans better wake up and realize that this is a job interview.
I’ve had a business my whole life and would NEVER look for inexperience as a positive attribute.
It’s like flying an airplane. I would never select a new pilot to navigate in treacherous weather.
This isn’t a popularity contest.
McCain is the only one qualified to handle Washington’s mess and foreign policy.
His ability to reach across the aisle and meet with Democrats is his finest attribute. Obama is not willing to do that.
McCain is a hero fighting to help America.
Obama is just a narcassist that is fighting to win for himself.

I just donated to 8 senate races to help make sure there won’t be any more Repub. filibusters. President Obama and our government will be able to fix the 8 years of retro-rule and take us into the future where our children and grandchildren will live.

Classic Nixon v. Kennedy.
Again, putting my partisanship aside a little, both focus group and immediate polling mark this as an Obama win, but it would be REALLY interesting to get a similar poll from radio listeners (like me).
Most intriguing to me: in a focus group shown on FOX(!) that was very pro-Obama, one participant said that McCain “stuttered”. There weren’t that many times that this happened (OK, Iran’s president..), and he was actually pretty surefooted. This impression certainly came from McCain’s exceptionally bad visuals.
This is very bad news for McCain, since impressions like this last!

What came through most clearly for me were McCains breathless, fearful statements about the threats across the globe. McCain is scared – he’s just plain afraid of the world at large.

“Pre McCain-Palin”. Attacking Obama’s inexperience on foreign policy still works, so long as Obama is running for commander-in-chief and Palin is running to preside over Senate meetings. Seems to me that every attack on Palin’s inexperience highlights the importance of experience for the top job — which doesn’t work to Obama’s advantage.

What an ostrich and the Republicans have in common? Let me guess!
An ostrich bury its head in the sand and pretend everything is fine.
Republicans do the same and follow McCain!
You can spin like wash machine all day long! The truth is
Senator McCain past actually impairs him from to be flexible and confront the future with open mind. .Senator Obama foreign policy is moderate but also smart. That helps to keep our friends near, and or foes nearer!

Rebublicans and Fox idiots can spin like wash machine all day long! The truth is
Senator McCain past actually impairs him from to be flexible and confront the future with open mind. .Senator Obama foreign policy is moderate but also smart. That helps to keep our friends near, and or foes nearer!
What an ostrich and the Republicans have in common? Let me guess!
An ostrich bury its head in the sand and pretend everything is fine.
Republicans do the same and follow McCain!

Jake, thanks for liveblogging the debate for us to follow. I read your blog after watching it on television. Have this observation to make: it’s about respect, and McCain’s lack of it for foreign leaders, for his opponent Obama, the American people, particularly the low and middle class, and the educated.
McCain never mentioned the middle class in his addresses.
In his attempts to paint Obama as naive, he came across as petty, belittling, derisive, and just negative and uninspiring, when in this time we the American people want inspiration to get us through the dark times with the economy and the war, and global warming.
McCain isn’t one to school somehow else on foreign policy, being one that confused the PM of Spain as a Lat. Am. dictator. On Pakistan, McCain shows he’s out of touch with reality, because American military is already attacking targets inside of Pakistan, and just the other day it was reported the Pakistani army shot down one of our drones. This insistence by McCain ultimately shows he has no respect for the American voters intelligence.
I can go on…But sum it up in one word, and it’s spelled R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Above all, I believe, and maybe I’m alone in this, that one who aspires to be the President of the United States of America, should respect the position and the qualifications for it. It means making sure your Number 2 is qualified to replace you. It means respecting the duties of the President, and not to overstep the other branches, or the inherent power of we the people. It means understanding that the President is the moral authority in the country, because we’re both a religious group of people, yet secular in governance, and it befalls on the President to model behavior and mores that the rest of the nation follows.

Easy win for McCain. He has a really good grasp of the issues and a record of getting stuff done.
Conversely, Obama has rhetoric and no record. I was shocked how disrespectful and malicous Obama seemed yesterday, constantly interrupting McCain while he spoke, and addressing him by his first name.
Most folks agree that Obama didn”t look like the proverbial “cool customer” last night, instead he seemed angry when he wasn”t speaking, and when he did speak, standoffish.

P3ng
If you BELIEVE that Obama cares about the middle class, you need to ask yourself why he failed at every project he BEGAN but didn’t finish in Chicago. Those people were BELOW middle class and Obama failed them. If you doubt that, you may want to look at the neighborhood Obama worked in and for. He didn’t want to help the middle class or the lower class, he merely needed a stepping stone for his ambitions. He didn’t last two years before he was saying I need to be a politician, THAT’S HOW I can help these people. So, he became a politician, and lo and behold, those people are still living as they were when Obama was community organizing. Even the “garden” that Obama got an earmark for never went up and that money cannot be accounted for (an Obama supporter and fundraiser by the way got that money). Obama cares about the middle class so much that he voted present 130 times. He cares so much that the first thing he did upon becoming a US Senator was to start running for President, and didn’t even hold meetings in his own committees to do AMERICAN business for AMERICAN people. So keep drinking your koolaid. Obama doesn’t have it.
He’s a Chicago politician determined to feed his own ego, not the poor people.

McCain says he doesn’t “need any on-the-job training.” Yea, but his VP running mate do and I don’t think there is enough time for Ms. Sara Palin to get that training by next Thursday. See what McCain keep forgeting he that fact that he is very old and have cancer so his running mate chose should have been some this experience of some sorts which Sara Palin have zero experience. McCain will lose this election behind his VP running mate and Thursday will say it all.

McCain was in his element.
A lying, swaggering, wacko.
He committed political
suicide in the debate with
his bad performance.

Leonard Peltier – I agree with you we need all the Republican out of the office.

gl,
“Right wing nuts” get it!!!

MEW – Sure you right wing nuts get it when there are not move of you nuts around. Obama/Biden 2008!
ATE YOU HEART OUT!

McCain’s body language was downright disrespectful. Even when Obama said “John” it was in a friendly way and he used it when saying McCain did have some valid points. Other times, he said Senator McCain.

jpt: “Obama may have conveyed a lot of things tonight, but I don’t think he seemed unprepared”
huh?
how can someone who has never done anything but talk in his life be prepared for the biggest job in the world?
Never had an employee. Won’t talk about his only “executive role” – Annenburg Challenge. Never been in business. Never published a legal paper (except 1 or 2 opinions in college). Never sponsered legislation of any import, but lied about a bunch.
If this is “not unprepared”, then everyone reading this column is just as prepared.
Could this country actually consider electing someone who has never done ANYTHING but talk in his life? It’s mind-boggling.