Each of the candidates had different expectations, especially considering the events on the campaign in the past two or three weeks. McCain had to be composed, not erratic or angry, and in full command of his foreign policy knowledge, as well as his economic policy. Obama had to hold his own on the foreign policy issues, and look “presidential.” Each of them largely succeeded on these expectations.
The opening of the debate focused the first 25 minutes on economic policy, especially regarding the bail out of the banking industry. When pressed by moderator Lehrer on what specific programs or spending initiatives would be needed to be cut in light of the bail out package, both candidates largely dodged the question, although Obama did acknowledge that perhaps certain items of particular policy initiatives might go unfulfilled. McCain kept harping on earmarks, but Obama countered that they were relatively a small amount of federal spending.
When they moved to foreign policy, one would have thought Obama would have been trounced by McCain, but the Senator from Illinois more than held his own, and even correctly pronounced the names of the foreign leaders correctly, something McCain didn’t do. I’ll paraphrase Dale Carnegie – the sweetest sound to a man is the sound of his own name. IF you want to annoy or irritate someone, get their name wrong. More than once.
McCain tried to criticize Obama for his “naive” view that he would hold talks “without preconditions” with leaders of antagonistic countries. Obama countered that even Mccain’s own adviser, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, agreed with that view. McCain tried to deny that, but as Juan Cole pointed out, Kissinger agreed with Obama’s viewpoint, more than once.
Obama stayed cool and collected, rarely stammered, and looked directly into the camera as if looking at the American people. McCain barely even looked at Obama, never looked into the camera, and maintained some strange body language, especially with the incessantly blinking eyes, frozen mask of anger, that manic smile a few times, and his lifted up shoulders. He kind of creeped me out a few times.
So even though no one in particular scored a knock-out punch, and there weren’t really any good zingers or litle sound bites, Obama’s presidential demeanout and command of the issues compared to McCain’s supposedly vastly greater knowledge combined with his creepy body language, I give this debate to Obama.
And it looks like most of the polls agree with me.
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