Reactions to the Presidential Debate

[_moksha]

I liked it when McCain had that American Legion moment about not deserting the veterans. If only he had saluted and and picture of a rippling American flag had been projected onto a background scrim. That would have been an added touch. Hard to ask for more than that.

On the foreign policy front, it did sound a little scary when he described the Russian President as K-G-B. Mr. Putin, tear down this wall.

[_Some Schmo]

I liked it when McCain had that American Legion moment about not deserting the veterans. If only he had saluted and and picture of a rippling American flag had been projected onto a background scrim. That would have been an added touch. Hard to ask for more than that.

On the foreign policy front, it did sound a little scary when he described the Russian President as K-G-B. Mr. Putin, tear down this wall.

It seems to me that McCain gets seriously aroused when talking about anything war related. It's a good thing he had the podium there to cover himself from the waist down.

[_Jason Bourne]

My policy this year I think is to vote for the opposing part for president and have only voted for one democrat in my life and that was the county DA!!

"[T]he opposing part" of what for president?

Sorry teach!! My policy is to vote for the opposing party this year for president,that is the party that opposes the current one in power.

Republicans have strayed from the values of the party I formulated my political views on during the Reagan era.

[_Jason Bourne]

It seems to me that McCain gets seriously aroused when talking about anything war related. It's a good thing he had the podium there to cover himself from the waist down.

While I am for strong defense and think it is the top of my list of priorities in a president McCain comes across as too trigger happy. He really does. Maybe it is his military heritage. He does scare me at times.

[_EAllusion]

I thought McCain won for reasons pretty much already covered here, but Obama did a lot better than I expected.

I was really looking forward to making fun of his trademark "um uh" spam and he ruined my night, damn him.

He was rehearsed. Obama doesn't "uh" when he has a rehearsed response or is comfortable. His pauses are usually a reflection of his internal thinking process or lack of comfort. I thought the debate was poor on the whole. The first section in particular was painful to watch. Both McCain and Obama have the same position on the bailout, which is hesitant, hedged support with hints that they might oppose it if they had the political capital to do so. This state of affairs prevented any meaningful discussion of it. It was an excercise in teeth pulling.

I don't know that McCain won by enough to tip the scales back in his direction. If the next two debates go better for Obama, then last night's debate won't have mattered much.

Popular perception was that Obama won. *shrugs* McCain isn't getting a bounce from this debate.