Add a Comment See all 506 Comments
- The bottom-line question arising from the debate is, %u201CWho do you trust?%u201D We need a steady hand on both the military trigger and the throttle of the U.S. economy. In the debate, McCain was head and shoulders above Obama in inspiring my trust. In typical %u201Clawyer%u201D fashion, Obama bobbed and weaved, parsed words, misquoted people and generally showed his lack of depth and experience. When Obama didn%u2019t know the answer to a question, he fudged it, agreeing with McCain at least 8 times during the debate.
If you trust lawyers, who are trained to twist and turn depending on the wind direction, then you will love Obama. You will love him even more, if he gets elected because he will inevitably say, %u201COops, it looks like we will have to double your taxes to pay for all of the neat things I promised to do for you.%u201D The man is scary, but his supporters are even scarier. If he is elected, I will be convinced that we have become a nation of blind idiots. The man is a %u201Cshape-shifter%u201D, not a leader. - Reply to this comment
- Agreed, bobfell1. Intelligence has gotten a bad rap. Thats the reason I don''t like the debate forum in politics. The guy with the calm, patient approach, the one who will take the time to weigh all the intricacies of an issue, usually does not look good on TV.
- Reply to this comment
- It''s interesting to note that the McCain campaign has shifted gears to run against the Republican party and GWB. It''s as thought he were running against himself! He''s even gone so far as to adopt many of Obama''s ideas.
Anyway, it''s not McCains performance last night that concerns me, it''s his performance over the past couple of months. The stunt he pulled by "suspending" his campaign was pretty pathetic. His choice of Sarah Palin is inexcusable and flies in the face of "country first". It is frightening to think that this (ok, I''ll say it) beauty pageant bimbo could be one breath away from being THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD! - Reply to this comment
- Badger223...
What made you a Hillary supporter that you like so much about John McCain?
Gun control? Womens right to choice? Health care reform? Lower taxes on the rich?
Oh, wait, she wasnt for any of those things. Why are Hillary supporters so anxious to support McPain at the drop of a hat? Sour grapes about a woman getting beat?
Obama sounded sholarly? I am so sick of people hating on presidential canidates for being smart. You want somebody to go out for a beer with, call your neighbor, I want the smartest person in the room being my president!! - Reply to this comment
- Badger223...
What made you a Hillary supporter that you like so much about John McCain?
Gun control? Womens right to choice? Health care reform? Lower taxes on the rich?
Oh, wait, she wasnt for any of those things. Why are Hillary supporters so anxious to support McPain at the drop of a hat? Sour grapes about a woman getting beat?
Obama sounded sholarly? I am so sick of people hating on presidential canidates for being smart. You want somebody to go out for a beer with, call your neighbor, I want the smartest person in the room being my president!! - Reply to this comment
- Well said, krobotov.In the media, I keep hearing aboutthe "professorial" nature of Obama''s style, as though that''s a bad thing. I don''t understand why so many people think that deliberate, considered thought BEFORE a decision is taken is somehow undesirable.
- Reply to this comment
- What we saw last night was a window into the two candidates'' leadership style and a true preview into how they would conduct foreign affairs. McCain was confident, yet ungracious, and showed far more interest in the geopolitical game of Risk than the nuances of diplomacy or the economy. He did not even look at Obama *once*, which showed great disrespect for his opponent. Also, if anecdotes were currency, McCain could bail out Wall Street himself. However, if storytelling was the measure of an experienced leader, Garrison Keillor should be president. Barack Obama, by contrast, proved his understanding of world affairs, but also demonstrated true diplomacy in front of our eyes by agreeing with his opponent when they had common ground, but then using that leverage to demonstrate where they truly disagreed. It is a coalition-building style that has worked so well for Obama over the past year, and is exactly the kind of politics that so many of his supporters are yearning for.
- Reply to this comment
- Badger, I don''t think he forgot the boy''s name. He paused to include that it was the mother of the boy who had given him the bracelet. In any event, is that the most important thing you took from this debate?
By the way, I''m really tired of people claiming to be Hillary supporters, and now will vote for McCain. If you vote for McCain, you were NEVER a Hillary supporter. - Reply to this comment
- I really don''t like the concept of "debates" as a way to choose the next President, because they invariably invite the question "who won the debate".
Some posts have noted that Obama agreed with McCain on some points. How could it be otherwise? Should a candidate invent a position he doesn''t support, just to appear different that his opponent? - Reply to this comment
- I am a democrat who wanted Hillary. I watched the debates but was less than impressed by Obama. He came across like a scholor... one who had studied but lacked any substance or experience to back up any of his words. I was especially embarrassed when he forgot the boys name on his bracelet. The safety of our country is too important to vote for someone just because he is in my party. For the first time ever I will be going over to the republican side and voting for McCain. They should have picked Hillary. She would have been a far more graceful and believable debator. Sorry democrats. McCain DID win this one.
McCain/ Palin 2008 - Reply to this comment
- Obama owned it...period.
Check.
And Biden is coming for your pawn soon...
PaigeInPhilly
Obama/Biden 08 - Reply to this comment
- Obama Won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Reply to this comment
- Obama Won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Reply to this comment
- McCain is living in the past. Obama is looking toward the future with intelligence and true concern. I believe Obama will represent our country in a new light to the world, a better light, and we need a new light. Bush has let our country''s light burn down to a flicker. All McCain will do is try to fan it to get it to revive. That won''t work. Our country needs new fuel, (literally, and figuratively.) Obama is that fuel. He will have my vote.
- Reply to this comment
- As I see it, we have a clear choice here between the craps shooter and the poker player. We have had eight years of intellectually challenged cowboy leadership. At this critical time we need the steady hand of a leader who uses calm, deliberative judgment in weighing the odds to make the decisions that will guide us out of this mess and restore our standing in the world. We do not need a "shoot from the hip" maverick who makes rash and petulant statements and bellicose threats. By his own admission, McCain did not even take five minutes to read the bailout plan! That is truly frightening. It is the same scary "off with his head" intemperance that led him to call for the firing of the SEC Chairman -- and that after he initially pronounced the fundamentals of the economy as sound. It seems to be an eerily manic decision making style.
Going forward, we must face the larger issue of which basic economic philosophy will get the nation back on track. Most poor and middle class families have not felt the benefits of Republican "Supply Side" trickle down economics. Millions of Americans have lost jobs and homes, and for the vast majority of us, more inducements, incentives and tax breaks for business and the wealthy are not the answer we are looking for.
Post Debate comment: Obama won. McCain looked stiff and angry and old. ALSO -- where was Sarah Palin? - Reply to this comment
- Both candidates were unable to define their economic positions and what they will do if elected... Furthermore, McCain had the cutting edge when it came to foreign policy. During the debate, Obama%u2019s showed his inability to defend his pork barrel spending position. Moreover, Obama kept agreeing with McCain. Debate strategy 101, you do not agree with your opponent %u2026this gives credence to your opponent and validate his concepts. How smart is Obama? Do I want a president who will agree with Ahmadinejad, Chavez or Putin?
- Reply to this comment
- Both candidates were unable to define their economic positions and what they will do if elected... Furthermore, McCain had the cutting edge when it came to foreign policy. During the debate, Obama%u2019s showed his inability to defend his pork barrel spending position. Moreover, Obama kept agreeing with McCain. Debate strategy 101, you do not agree with your opponent %u2026this gives credence to your opponent and validate you%u2019re his concepts.
- Reply to this comment
- Staff of either candidate will say their guy "won" of course. Obama did, I think, do better on the economy, held his own on foreign affairs, where McCain''s experience gives McCain a slight edge.
McCain needed to show he could perform for 90'' without losing his temper or becoming erratic. Obama needed to demonstrate solid command of foreign policy isssues. Both succeeded in those areas.
Given McCain''s sagging numbers, however, and Palin''s poor showing with Katie Couric, the overall effect is a win for the Dems. - Reply to this comment
- McCain was very knowledgeable but I really don''t care about where he traveled on taxpayer money - I dont care about Waziristan - I want to stop throwing money away in Iraq and end this war - Obama Won.
- Reply to this comment
- Obama had to look down at his wrist and read the name on the bracelet that he was wearing, can you imagine if McCain did that? The MSM would have a field day. I think McCain did a little better.
- Reply to this comment
