Well? What did you think? I think McCain won this debate- in substance at least. Here's a list of the stronger points:
1. He did a better job tonight of picking apart Obama's plans- especially the semantical "get out of jail free" card on nuclear energy- the one where Obama supports nuclear energy as long as it is "safe".
2. The "I'm not George Bush" line was also very effective. Wish McCain would have been more assertive in this regard in earlier debates.
3. McCain could have spent more time on the "present" votes that Obama used so often in the past. He could have mad a valid argument here, driving home the point that Obama refuses to take stances on substantive issues.
4. The abortion issue was handled better by McCain, but there was blood in the water when Obama brought up his vote concerning the treatment of babies that survived an abortion. Obama lawyered around the issue about how and why he voted the way he did (esentially infanticide in my view) and McCain just let it drop. This could have been a much more powerful blow.
5. "Joe the Plumber" was an effective tool for McCain tonight. I think Obama was caught off guard by Joe, and had no effective means by which to counter in tonight's debate. This should be a red flag to other "Joe's" out there, and it put a face on all the people in the country who will be affected by either candidate's presidency. McCain came off as being more in touch with the issues that mattered to Joe.
In terms of delivery, I think Obama wins. I learned something tonight b sheer accident. I spent half of the debate listening from the kitchen while cleaning up a spill in the refrigerator. The parts of the debate I thought McCain won were the parts where I didn't see the him talking. McCain (as always) looked twitchy and agitated. Obama (as always) was cool as a cucumber. McCain's eye rolling isn't going to play well in the morning. Why can't the Republicans find a guy who is at least SOMEWHAT charismatic???
My opinion: Net effect zero. Had McCain been this tough in the first two debates, he may have increased his chances. Every post-debate show I've seen so far says the same thing, but I think that their motivations are different than mine. I see it as a series of missed opportunities while the network news teams try to run out the clock for Obama. I've never been a huge media conspiracy theorist, but I can't help but see it in this instance.
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Though I'm too young to remember, it reminds me of what I've heard about the Kennedy/Nixon debate. And you're right about how they come across when you're watching. Why does McCain BLINK so much? I was wondering if maybe he wore contacts so as not to look so old with glasses, but I think glasses would be better than his popeye look.
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