Who won?

[Brittain33]

Obama won Fox's focus group.

He pretty obviously won CNN's dial-spinners during the course of the debate. I didn't stick around to see what they said afterward.

[Iosif]

Obama won Fox's focus group.

Far left tree huggers.

McCain NAILED Obama!!!

[cp]

McCain acted bitter and tired and almost seemed like he didnt want to be there. He didnt even look at Obama the entire debate, and his body language was going against him.

Obama looked Presidential. He was calm and stuck to the issues and even agreed some of the time with McCain and such.

Overall though....it was a tie.

Obama was not calm, looked angry, and stumbled a bit with "um, ah."  He also has to learn to to talk in soundbites.  McCain won, barely, but not a big victory; he actually looked more vigorous than Obama!

"John's right," occurred too many times.  If "John's right's," we ought to vote for him.

McCain's bad points were, he was a bit patronizing at times and he needed to be a bit more future oriented.  Obama failed at that as well.

Both candidates don't have a clue on the economy.  

Sorry...im really going to have to disagree with you. Obama wasn't the one trying to fling punches out left and right and hoping one would magiclly stick. McCain just didn't seem like he wanted to be there. Obama seemed more Presidential while McCain looked bitter and angry and just wanting all of this to end quickly so he could go and "save Washington."

I completely agree. Obama's verbal effluence was at an all-time low. He was far more crisp with his answers than McCain was, even in the second part of the debate when McCain was more comfortable. (Please keep in mind that stumbling over a few words doesn't mean that you're stumbling the point. Doing it too often detracts from your presentation, but neither candidate did that tonight.)

Also, I found Obama to be almost exclusively 'future oriented', if by that you mean casting the reach of his arguments to a broader context in a chronological framework. He was constantly referring to his new initiatives and breaking with the past. McCain, by contrast, had no less that three direct references to WWII and got mired in Cold War rhetoric in his answers on Georgia.

I will admit, though, that Obama was on the defensive in the second half and was frustratingly unwilling to interrupt McCain the way McCain constantly did to him. This may not be so bad as it made McCain seem wildly reactive rather than steady and sober.

[J. J.]

McCain acted bitter and tired and almost seemed like he didnt want to be there. He didnt even look at Obama the entire debate, and his body language was going against him.

Obama looked Presidential. He was calm and stuck to the issues and even agreed some of the time with McCain and such.

Overall though....it was a tie.

Obama was not calm, looked angry, and stumbled a bit with "um, ah."  He also has to learn to to talk in soundbites.  McCain won, barely, but not a big victory; he actually looked more vigorous than Obama!

"John's right," occurred too many times.  If "John's right's," we ought to vote for him.

McCain's bad points were, he was a bit patronizing at times and he needed to be a bit more future oriented.  Obama failed at that as well.

Both candidates don't have a clue on the economy.  

Sorry...im really going to have to disagree with you. Obama wasn't the one trying to fling punches out left and right and hoping one would magiclly stick. McCain just didn't seem like he wanted to be there. Obama seemed more Presidential while McCain looked bitter and angry and just wanting all of this to end quickly so he could go and "save Washington."

I even heard commentators  (on CNN) saying how much McCain got under Obama's skin.  

McCain did throw some punches, not doubt about that.

It was a McCain win, but not a stunning victory.  What surprised me how vigorous McCain looked.

[Ban my account ffs!]

McCain looked agitated, not vigorous.

He seemed irritated and crabby...

but of course I think that.

[Barack Hussian YO MAMA!!!!]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

You know as well as I do that this board leans to the left. That's a fact.

This board would have voted for MONDALE over Reagan.

that is evident by the results of our our mock election.

[exopolitician]

McCain acted bitter and tired and almost seemed like he didnt want to be there. He didnt even look at Obama the entire debate, and his body language was going against him.

Obama looked Presidential. He was calm and stuck to the issues and even agreed some of the time with McCain and such.

Overall though....it was a tie.

Obama was not calm, looked angry, and stumbled a bit with "um, ah."  He also has to learn to to talk in soundbites.  McCain won, barely, but not a big victory; he actually looked more vigorous than Obama!

"John's right," occurred too many times.  If "John's right's," we ought to vote for him.

McCain's bad points were, he was a bit patronizing at times and he needed to be a bit more future oriented.  Obama failed at that as well.

Both candidates don't have a clue on the economy.  

Sorry...im really going to have to disagree with you. Obama wasn't the one trying to fling punches out left and right and hoping one would magiclly stick. McCain just didn't seem like he wanted to be there. Obama seemed more Presidential while McCain looked bitter and angry and just wanting all of this to end quickly so he could go and "save Washington."

I even heard commentators  (on CNN) saying how much McCain got under Obama's skin.  

McCain did throw some punches, not doubt about that.

It was a McCain win, but not a stunning victory.  What surprised me how vigorous McCain looked.

I don't need commentators on a news station to tell me what happened, I saw it. It almost looked the exact opposite....McCain seemed to get flustered alot more than Obama [if he even did] and he showed it. Also, whenever Obama did show some frustration, he was overpowered by McCain...he would talk over Obama whenever Obama was trying to defent or refute whatever McCain just said.

[Zarn]

McCain won, but it wasn't a clear win. You would have to have a good understanding of each issue at hand to see where Obama made his mistakes, and why what he said was even contradictory at times. Unfortunately, McCain did not always call him out on them.

[Kalimantan]

Well done Barack. I enjoyed that and know I have made the right choice for president

[cp]

J.J.:

If we are to assume that what CNN says is always right, then I'm afraid your contention that McCain won is quite wrong. The analysis across the board is that this was a tie, or by default, an Obama victory because he wasn't clobbered on the foreign policy issue.

Now, assuming CNN is not the word of God, I really can't see how McCain irked Obama. Obama's performance was consistently cool and collected, without a trace of wincing or agitation at anything McCain said. At least twice Obama ceded the floor back to the moderator after a McCain attack and did it with a smile. That's not the reaction of someone who's losing his head because of an emotional reaction: that reaction was best seen in McCain.

[Ban my account ffs!]

One comment made by McCain that stung and will really hurt him in my part of the country was his
"Let's cut ethanol subsidies"

[Firefly]

I find it interesting that some seem to think Obama won the first half of the debate and McCain won the second half, while others think McCain won the first half and Obama won the second half.  The election goes on.

Maybe it's too late and I'm skipping over posts involuntarily, but who exactly is arguing that McCain won the first half and Obama the second? McCain could barely get his words out in the first 30 minutes and when he did his proposals came off as dusty and irrational. Obama in the second half was clearly on the defensive. I still think Obama did a better job, but it's certainly not because of a glowing performance in the second half.

I wish I could give you specifics, but I don't remember exactly where I've heard which opinion.  I've been switching from channel to channel and website to website, but I assure you, I've heard several times that McCain won the first half (economic) and Obama won the second half (foreign policy).

[Fritz]

Basically it looks like whichever candidate you supported before you watched, is who you think won.  I of course think Obama narrowly won, he appeared more comfortable and in command, and had McCain on the defensive several times.  But of course, that's my take as an Obama supporter.  In asking the question "who won?", the real question is did either candidate pick up any undecided voters, or change anyone's mind?  Probably not, so it's a draw.

[Sbane]

Haha I think I am the only one who thought Obama did better in the second half of the debate on points. Of course even when hell freezes over I would still oppose the republican foreign policy, so I guess I am not "objective".

[Torie]

One comment made by McCain that stung and will really hurt him in my part of the country was his
"Let's cut ethanol subsidies"

McCain is not running to win Iowa, and McCain is right. Ethanol subsidies are a disgrace, although McCain did not make the case. Obama won decisively on domestic issues, and any Pubbie who claims otherwise is kidding himself. JMO. McCain just can't shred Obama on all his BS on his promises. McCain is just unable to make the case, that it is the Democrats that are really in bed with Wall Street. Damn!

[Eraserhead]

CNN is going to have a focus group from Ohio on in a few minutes.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I thought obama won, but I thought gore killed bush in their first debate...doesn't matter though, palin's loss next week will end this campaign

[Sam Spade]

Dick Morris says Obama won.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

One comment made by McCain that stung and will really hurt him in my part of the country was his
"Let's cut ethanol subsidies"

That might be the only issue I agree with McCain on, but whatever, Obama was already leading in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

[Sbane]

Dick Morris says Obama won.

Haha what?

[Smash255]

Obama won, not a knockout victory by any means, but he still won.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Ask me tommorow.

[Sam Spade]

Dick Morris says Obama won.

Haha what?

Just reporting.

[Nym90]

Obama didn't forget Poland.

I say Obama narrowly, but it wasn't a game changer.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

Jim: If you approve the $700 billion bailout, what are you going to cut to pay for it?

Obama: I'm going to spend money on this, and this, and this, and this, and this.

WTF?

And while McCain's endless reprise of Johnny Cash's "I've been everywhere" got obnoxious, it's clear he has a much better clue of what's going on in the world than Obama does.

McCain wins on domestic issues by not sucking more than Obama, and he blew Obama away on foreign policy.

It was really amusing to see Biden try to save Obama's ass in the NBC interview afterwards, trying to claim that "the surge is a tactic, not a strategy."  

McCain wins.