Debating the Debates

Okay,

Those of you who know me know that I tend to vote Conservative...(and for those of you who are keeping score I've already voted in this election and I did vote for three Democrats, so no one can say I'm intolerant!)

In any event....I do support John McCain because of his many years of service and experience and I think that with all that the next President will inherit, they're going to need as much experience as possible...

That being said, I have tried my best to remain objective during the debates and to listen and watch objectively to what the candidates have said and the manner in which they have carried themselves...

That is why, if I were to judge the debates individually I'd go with the following as winners and losers.

Debate #1 McCain=Obama tie
In this debate, McCain started out strong, while Obama began kind of slow and had an irritating habit of saying "UM" a lot, as if he didn't quite know what to say.
As the debate progressed, McCain began to fall back on talking points as Obama picked up speed. Obama finished strong, while McCain fizzled out.
Clearly Obama had the style in this one, while McCain offered greater substance.
Most of the pundits said they thought no one delivered a "knock-out blow" and left the viewer with the impression that it was a tie, or at best, a slight Obama lead.(of course, those of you who read the Kansas City Star the following day, read a ridiculous account of a debate that no one else must have seen and declared Obama the "obvious winner.")

Debate #2 The Vice Presidential Debate Biden=Palin tie
Both candidates did a great job in this debate, which made all of the other debates (save for the last one) look like a grade school production. Palin, who was widely predicted to fall flat on her face or her fanny, did a remarkable job of holding her ground against the older/wiser/more polished Biden, who at times seemed to want to bite his lip to keep from screaming at her. (although politely so!)
Biden won on talking points and on substance by far, but that being said, Palin controlled the direction of the debate from the get-go, by defiantly deflecting questions and flat-out ignoring some of them as she pleased...(looking like a pro in the process).
I could have done without the down-home corniness of some of Palin's comments, but I think she sold herself well to the people in the small towns and to Conservative women in particular... (and a few men too!) So, Style points went to Palin, and the fact that she was the main thing people talked about the next day, goes to show you that she scored some solid points.
(unless you're the editorial board of the Kansas City Star who said *that she was outshone by Biden...) *not a direct quote, but words to that effect.

Debate #3 Obama=McCain tie
I would have liked to come away from this debate saying that McCain won this round, but he seemed ill at ease and stumbled for about the first half of the debate. Obama seemed calmer and more collected until the debate turned to foreign policy. This is when the lights came on in the McCain engine and he revved up and took over. I kept getting the Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-San pictures in my head as McCain "taught" Obama a lesson in foreign policy.
But I could have REALLY done without both candidates going over their talking points and over and over and over them again... I kept thinking... "These are the two best guys we could get to run???" And poor Tom Brokaw, who I admire a lot...was left beaten on the ground....
No clear winner unless you divide the debate in half and give them each the half they excelled in... so NO CLEAR WINNER....
(well, except for where the KC STAR is concerned as they declared McCain "stiff" and "grumpy" and Obama "Calmer" and "collected.")
*I'm starting to notice a trend here, but if they pick McCain as the winner of the third debate, I'll stand corrected...although I doubt they'll ever pick him as the winner!)

Debate #4 McCain=Obama tie
Try as they might to go back to the talking points again and again, Bob Schiffer, the Moderator of tonight's debate, did the miraculous job of keeping them pretty much on track. Obama did some more of his "um" and start and stop talking, while McCain would begin a sentence, get sidetracked and then go back to the sentence. Both seemed a bit less polished (maybe they're just tired?) this go-round, but they did actually say some new things this time.
The round table format seemed to suit them both better after the previous debate's horrible "let's walk in front of the camera and teleprompter" format. Both got some pretty decent points across and Obama, still looking calm, seemed a bit unnerved by McCain's challenges. Brian Williams of NBC said McCain was "Feisty" tonight, and that may have been an understatement. He seemed like he'd had two or three trips to Starbucks on the way to the debate. To be fair, he did get off the best line of the night when he said "If you'd wanted to run against George Bush, you should have ran four years ago!"
They both did well where they were expected to do well, although other than McCain's "Bush" pronouncement, neither really drew blood. McCain did look tougher, although I'm not sure the "His buddy's a terrorist" argument really does a lot for his campaign. If he'd wanted to do damage, he should have brought up Jeremiah Wright, who is still a sore spot with the Obama campaign.
Obama did a good job at explaining his health care plan, but faltered a bit when he talked about the Supreme Court. McCain's explanation sounded better. (At least to me...) So, no clear winner again for me, but if you want to give McCain extra points for sheer energy (although the eye rolling was a bit much!) you may do so... (unless you're the Kansas City Star and you've already given the debate to Obama....)

-David