Debate

I watched the debate last Friday night. I was impressed with Jim Lherer's moderating and the way he insisted that the candidates speak to each other instead of in the third person. McCain seemed unable to address Obama in the first person though, despite several attempts by the moderator to have a direct conversation and debate... Obama seemed a little more able to speak to McCain directly, although he tended to want to address the American people. I think in McCain's case it is from decades of Senatorial formality that he is unable to address a single person and must speak to the masses. But Obama is the one who's eliteist. Riiiiight.

I was amazed as I listened to McCain accuse Obama of not understanding the difference between a strategy and a tactic. Only to confuse the two himself in his description of a tactic (the surge) as a strategy.
Obama then demonstrated his grasp of strategy vs. a tactic. Only to have McCain describe a tactic as a strategy again in regard to Afganistan.

I was sad that Obama didn't change the framework of the issues effectively. He could have been a little more assertive with regard to what is a priority for America.
McCain was expecting his expose of Obama's definition of "wealthy" as individuals who make more than $250,000 a year to outrage Americans. Most of the Americans listening I think were saying "I wish I made $250,000 a year" not "Outrageous! I make ten times that! This will not stand!!!" So no points there. We as a nation have been driven to the outskirts of an economic wasteland by eight years of "Conservative" policies. My brother calls for an investigation into the Senate Banking Commitee but I think any investigation would reveal that the rapeublican policy of deregulation and hands-off-the-market regulation combined with a willingness to look the other way was behind this.
What surprises me is that anyone is surprized that this happened. Economists have been screaming about this for years.
But back to the debate. Poor responses from both of the candidates on what they would do about this "crisis" and how it would effect their administration's first days in office.
Poor response from Obama when talking about Iran. Instead of falling into the Republican framework and calling Iran a "rouge" nation he could have used that opportunity to refer to Iran as a "Mavrick" nation.
He missed one shot there. But then he doesn't have me advising him on his speaches either...
McCain just spouted the usual party line about taxes and terrorists. Nothing of substance at all. He tried to scare America a bit more. At least Obama took him on regarding his support of Bush inc's plans for the rest of us.
I'd give Obama the edge on this debate, but not by much.