Just One Man's Opinion

You saw the debate, so you draw your own conclusions.  We all see these things partially through our own lying eyes.  Here's my two cents.

On the financial matters that started the debate, Obama largely ran circles around McCain.  Indeed, I think fifteen minutes into the debate this election was over, that is if it wasn't all ready.  Obama pummeled McCain and McCain responded weakly.  That said, the extent to which Obama demonizes his opposition and panders to the middle-class is breath taking.  We have seldom see such a transparent demagogue.

In my opinion, the foreign policy side of the debate was like Henry Kissenger debating the local high school debate champ.  McCain simply took Obama apart.  It is clear that McCain is knowledgeable and experienced on foreign policy while the Obama blathers with little content.  Did anyone else catch that Obama essentially said that we should have left Saddam Hussein in power as a check against Iran?  How's that for crass realist foreign policy.   

This was a foreign policy debate and McCain cleaned Obama's clock once they actually got to that subject, but McCain was so badly wounded in the first fifteen minutes that I don't think it matters.  Also, this is not a foreign policy election.  Obama clearly is far more comfortable and in command on domestic policy and apparently McCain is just unwilling to effectively attack.  How did we get through this debate without McCain mentioning the fact that Obama is a huge recipient of Fannie Mae political contributions and that he has close ties to Franklin Raines and James Johnson, both CEOs deeply implicated in the sub-prime greed?  Battle to McCain.  War to Obama.