BrandNew said:
I think it was a draw, to be honest. CNN says the same thing.
And that, my friends, is actually a McCain loss.
I'm sort of disappointed Obama didn't talk more about McCain's bullshit this past week, but whatever. The economical debate hasn't been had yet.
I would say that's about right. I do think Obama did better than McCain on the economic side of things, and I think he really held his own against McCain during the foreign policy stuff. I do think McCain did a very good job underscoring his experience dealing with foreign affairs, though, and it's hard to argue against that laundry list of crises he has dealt with, regardless of your position (which is why Obama didn't even try to argue against those points).
Holding his own against McCain on foreign policy, though, is the best possible result for Obama. McCain is too knowledgeable and too experienced on foreign affairs for Obama to be able to clearly "defeat him" in that area, and the fact is that Obama is the one who needs to prove himself more in that sphere. By being able to go blow by blow with McCain, weathering McCain's strongest points and attacks, and even being able to stick him a few times, Obama proved he can hold his own with a veteran statesman.
Overall, I thought it was a surprisingly debate-like debate. And I thought both of them handled it very well, albeit with their own styles. I do think McCain came off as a cantankerous old man a few times and was more condescending in general while Obama was more cordial and diplomatic, but it was quite an interesting debate rather than a round of alternating speeches (which is what presidential debates have been more like the last few elections).
Sooo, yeah, there's a lot here that both sides can claim victory on, but I think the results favor Obama a bit more.