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Chirol
Author

Chirol

Date

September 27th, 2008

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Some Post Debate Thought

As every corner of the media will be saturated with this, I’ll keep my thoughts short.

– I think McCain clearly came out on top of the debate. He stayed on the offensive, gave clear, decisive and in depth answers to FP issues whereas Obama tended to give longer policy-speak answers. On top of that he did show that he misunderstood some of the issues, but that’s from someone studying defense and strategy. How it plays out with most people is another story.
– Although I’d declare McCain the winner, it wasn’t a KO and since Obama really just had to stay in there and not be killed, I can see people giving it to him. However, while I think it is a legitimate viewpoint, it is one of lowered expectations. We know McCain is qualified so crediting Obama for hanging in there is silly. But again, how the public see is will be different.
– I loved the back and forth format, a refreshing change and more flexibility than I imagined.
– I think there is a serious miscommunication with regard to what “preconditions” means. I had the impression both candidates weren’t all that far away on the issue but couldn’t agree on the same language for it.



Readers, your thoughts?

Comments to this entry

TS
September 27, 2008
6:09 am
The whole "preconditions" thing was a little ridiculous. I think McCain was trying to disagree just for the sake of finding something to disagree with. I mean, what's McCain going to do? Disagree with his own advisor, the infamous Dr. K? That whole segment of the debate was a useless excercise in diplomatic semantics (semantics being what much of diplomacy consists of, much of the time).

I do NOT think McCain "won", as useless a concept as winning is in this context. I thought the wonky Victorians who write this blog could appreciate O's wordy, wonky answers, even if you don't agree with them. Obama's explanation of Iraq vs. Afghanistan was correct and concise, I think you'll agree. O's explanation of his statements on Pakistan were clear, unlike McCain's, who was only attacking O's statement about taking action inside Pakistan (which is the right way to go). He had nothing productive to say about Pakistan, besides calling (again and again) for "victory" in Iraq. Obama should have asked "What the hell does 'victory' MEAN? What does 'victory' look like?" Very frustrating that he let McCain get away with that victory BS again.
Roy Berman
September 27, 2008
9:40 am
I notice you are only judging the foreign policy aspect of the debate which, despite its importance, is not the half that most voters really care about right now. I was only half listening to the entire debate, but I found it truly bizarre when Mccain said he would veto ALL spending bills that come across his desk. I think he meant only ones with earmarks in them, but that's not what he said. I also really don't think his desire to lower corporate tax rates, or tax employer paid health benefits are going to be very popular right now...
Eddie
September 27, 2008
12:50 pm
Debates are often judged in the long run by stylistic gaffes (Bush I checking his watch, Al Gore's sighs, Bush II being flummoxed in the first debate with Kerry). I think McCain will tone down his dismissive attitude of Obama (He barely looked at him and had that odd uncomfortable smile on his face everytime Obama spoke).

Plus, he insisted on misspeaking about Iraq. Obama will win that debate every time because as he said, the war did not start in 2007. People do not support the war, are not happy with all the money spent on Iraqis and not on Americans, and that just reminds them that McCain was a big supporter, said it would be a quick deal, and was flat wrong.

The more important debate is next Tuesday. Watch that Sarah Palin interview with Katie Couric. Its a horror show. She's grown more incoherent and flat footed over the past few weeks. Is she ready to be VP, let alone President? She certainly does not sound like it.
If she can't hold her own against the blowhard but intelligent Biden, independents will shift to Obama. I don't think she will, especially because the moderator (Gwen Ifil) is known for a no BS style and will give Palin no extra space to maneuver.
Chirol
September 27, 2008
2:06 pm
Eddie: I'm also worried about Palin. Looks aside, she doesn't seem to have the experience or knowledge necessary for the job. I do think she has the right instincts and was happy he chose someone outside the beltway, but experience was it was a bad pick.
Roy Berman
September 27, 2008
3:16 pm
Chirol, in what way does she have the right instincts? If you are referring to pure political maneuvering I'll agree with you-she is good at that. But I don't see a single policy area where she makes me feel comfortable; she's either similar to or far, far worse than McCain in any given area. And as for foreign policy, which is clearly your primary interest, she doesn't even seem to have a single opinion that dates to before her pre-interview cramming sessions.
Roy Berman
September 27, 2008
3:22 pm
I should mention that, although given these two choices I prefer Obama rather strongly, I thought the debate was an overall tie.
Chirol
September 27, 2008
9:46 pm
Roy: I meant to say "he has the right instincts"
Roy Berman
September 28, 2008
12:39 am
Ha! OK. That makes more sense.
Eddie
September 28, 2008
5:16 pm
Its sad that the comics have done a better job covering the race than the media.

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/09/palin_obama_mccain_saturday_ni.html

Not to mention Letterman eviscerating McCain for canceling his appearance on the Late show because he was "suspending" his campaign with the greatest urgency to rush back to Washington. Letterman showed the audience video of McCain in make-up before an interview with Katie Couric minutes after claiming that to Letterman.
Joe Jones
September 29, 2008
1:57 am
Actually, this amateur effort was even better than the SNL version of the debate:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=r1WAoxuqQfs
I also call the first debate a tie. The candidates are really on level ground here. There was a lot of pointless fluff -- even moreso than the "preconditions" banter, I was really getting frustrated with all the half-baked allegations and counter-allegations about Senate voting records. But the debate did descend into good fundamental differences in doctrine at times, which was refreshing. I personally appreciated the talk on corporate taxes, for instance.
Anyway, these guys are both pretty good at talking their respective talks. I suspect McCain would be really competitive, if not way ahead, if he didn't have the baggage of the Bush administration on his shoulders. (For me, Palin is the deciding factor: I am afraid to have her anywhere near the White House, much less right behind an old man in the chain of succession. Biden may be an a-hole, but at least he isn't a babbling redneck.)
Roy Berman
September 30, 2008
8:06 am
Hadn't seen that debate sketch before, but the guy doing the Obama impression is way better than McCain guy.

I thought these Palin skits are even funnier than the SNL ones though:
http://www.youtube.com/sarabenincasa
Joe Jones
September 30, 2008
11:16 am
The ultimate Palin parody must be this:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1831461