Debate Thoughts

Just a few random observations:

• I’ve been rather annoyed with McCain this past week  I have to admit that part of me would have loved to have seen him fumble tonight’s appearance.  He didn’t, and I suspect he “won” by being able to end his bad week on a good note.
   
• I don’t think there was a clear winner tonight.  Obama presented better than McCain on the “economy as it relates to national security” half of the debate, and McCain clearly shined on the pure foreign policy aspect.
   
• Actually, there probably was a winner.  Props to Jim Lehrer for being such a capable moderator.
   
• I was a little annoyed by Obama’s argumentativeness at times.  It’s understandable that he’d want to correct some of McCain’s misrepresentations, but he should have been more presidential in the delivery of his rebuttals.
   
• However, Obama did succeed at appearing not-incompetent on foreign policy.  He had a chance to show off his credentials, and show that he might not be as inexperienced as the McCain camp has been trying to portray.
   
• If foreign issues were at the top of Americans’ minds…McCain might have good reason to claim victory, by virtue of successfully illuminated his superior experience, and McCain definitely lucked out by the first debate being on foreign policy.  However…
   
• Foreign policy isn’t forefront in Americans’ consciousness.  This year, it is the economy, stupid.  Neither candidate was particularly satisfactory in that regard, although I think Obama may have edged McCain in terms of being “least unacceptable” or “further removed from blame”.

I suspect that the next debate, the Veep debate, has the potential of being particularly interesting, especially given the likelihood that tonight’s debate didn’t move America from it’s “almost evenly split” political condition.  The potential of a Biden gaffe or an “I can see Russia from my house!” moment should be entertaining, at least.