I watched on tape delay so just getting around to comment. I really think this was a whole lot of nothing on the trajectory of the race. There were no signature moments from either, no gotcha moments or great lines and that is just fine by me. OBama got through the night that was focused on McCain's turf, held his own and we move on to the economic debate. I just don't think McCain moved the needle.

In re the foreign policy/Iraq/Afghanistan part, I wonder how many people are really going to buy McCain saying Iraq was the central battleground in the war on terror. I don't think the majority of Americans believe that any more. They might have at one time but not now. As "forceful" as McCain was about winning in Iraq I just don't know if the American people even see that war in the same win/lose frame anymore.

Daily Kos user Eileen B says he did:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/27/ 1216/62905/110/612142

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1rZBmk0D YU

Looks like "horsesh*t" to me, although many of the DKos commenters think he was saying, "Of course" or "Of course it is."

Yes he did.

I finally am about done with the debate replay. I am no ass kisser. But I was very happy with Obama's performance. NO signature moments, but it was  a signature performance. He looked like the wiser one. He had a ready response to whatever crap McCain brought on.

The only thing they need to finetune is to come up with a good line of argument that will not only put the surge in its tiny context of the war, but get McCain to shut up as if the surge redeems a stupid war that should  never have tkaen place in the first place.

If each campaign were a movie, which movie would they be?

Don't know what Obama's movie would be, but given the weirdness that is McCain/Palin, I'm thinking that McCain's movie would be directed by David Lynch.  I'm leaning towards "Wild at Heart" if only because of the Sailor character.  If so, I think we reached the car-wreck-in-the-desert scene this week.

I'm waiting for

Return of the post-debate thread the directors cut with extra footage of Joe Liberman fanning McCain backstage with a towel,
like they used to do James Brown....

OOOWWWWW!! Maceo! HIT ME!

JUST LIKE A SEX MACHINE!

TAKE ME TO THE BRIDGE AND DROP ME OFF~

I have my pre-order in at Amazon.

Americans agree on many issues, Obama is even known for a great speech about it.  So what?

The "NO" at the end of that ad made me laugh. Their candidate sucks so bad that they fill his ads with the opposition, and said ads are so weak they need to answer their own push-poll questions

Well if that's all they can think of, I think we did pretty well tonight.

Big deal.. Remember the second 2000 debate?  Gore and Bush were falling all over themselves to agree with each other.  It was so bad, that SNL even made a skit about it...

pretty lame, but the question is - where is Obama's web ad?

I'm not so sure that agreeing with your opponent on some issues doesn't play well with undecided voters.  I mean we can't stand it, and I think he certainly did too much of it, but I think we partisans and the pundits don't necessarily see it as the independents.

I think it looks presidential in the leadership sense to be firm and assertive in disagreement (as Obama was) but acknowledge agreement as well.  It certainly plays better than refusing to even look at your opponent and being condescending and angry.

One man looked like a president tonight.  The other looked like an grumpy partisan congressman.

AM I The only one to notice??

That for 7 out of 8 of McCain's examples, he chose WAR !!

OK, elsewhere on the  blog, I praised Obama lot for his debate performance. At thattime, I didnt realize I missed at least 10-15 min or so of the opening. I didn't think Obama did enough to make it clear how clueless McCain has been about deregulation in the past. Also, Obama shold have thrown some red meat like McCain did. He could have adopted an even harder line on the bailout. Instead democrats like to keep coopting individual homeowners into the bailout instead of focusing on attacking the notion of a bailout in such a hurry. Also he needs to comeup with a clever line which highlights how one can trust people who created the mess to fix the same mess. He should have also questioned why McCain feels the economy is in such bad shape after it has become too obvious while he didnt seem that bothered in the past.

what movie? I've been thinking a Coen brothers movie, and not one of their cheerful where-art-thou romps... more like Fargo. Palin is certainly a Coen brothers character.

In your update, you gave free advice to the McCain campaign.
Kindly remove it.

As for the debate, I kinda thought McCain would've been the 'perceived' winner though I liked Obama a lot more... I'm glad most of the general public thought the same as well...

Agreed.  Rational voters realize that most people don't disagree 100% of the time, and that the world isn't black and white.  The fact that McCain campaigns as a bipartisan patriot and then mocks people who actually cross the aisle to agree with him speaks volumes about his character.

I said it earlier and I'll say it gain... McCain is doing our work for us.

It was over when McCain put on that tie.

Both my wife and I are registered Republicans, so much so I was a caucus chair. I was one of the few people who voted for John McCain in my caucus in Colorado because of my hope that he would be post/bi-partisan. My wife noted how she liked Obama saying I agree while was put off by the you don't understand of McCain. McCain accused Obama of being so far to the left he couldn't reach across the aisle and Obama disproved it DURING THE DEBATE. While the "true believers" might be frustrated by Obama being too reasonable but many independents and moderates like myself who have been frustrated with McCain's VP choice and recent viciousness were looking for a reason to vote FOR Obama. I believe he did that and is the why behind all the snap polling of independents coming home to Obama. In fact, I predict historians will note yesterday as the day he won the election.