Okay. Tell me what you think about this debate. Since it is a foreign policy debate, I expect to be annoyed by both candidates. But I’m primarily interested in how well their answers will play politically.
Will John McCain lose his temper? Will Barack Obama suffer from Kerryitis?
I want to see Obama punch him in the face. Rhetorically speaking of course.
I want to see this actually happen.
If it werent for the optics of a young, virile guy beating the crap out of grandpa get-off-my-lawn then I would agree.
Remote? Check. Liquor? Check
I’m ready!
wait, move over a tad.
there’s plenty of room and brew! [scoots over]
game on!
Jim Lehrer’s tie does nothing for me.
is it my tv screen or do Lehrer’s pupils look uber-dilated? I thought the same of Junior Caligula during his speak the other night…
Lehrer’s tie is just ugly. McCain’s is creating interference patterns on the tv and looks awful.
moire
But of course McCain doesn’t have anyone on his staff capable of giving him this good advice.
This is weird…I just went around the corner to watch the debate at a friends apartment, and lots of folks were clustered outside the Irish Pub (in center city philly)…apparently Sarah Palin had been there earlier. How odd.
Had she been drinking heavily?
Well, definitely not drinking liberally!
Obama’s taller, he wins.
Financial Recovery Plan question.
heh, Obama opens up with a direct shot at McSame for supporting Shrub’s economic policies. Hope he keeps that up.
McCain is off his game tonight, it’s already apparent as he rambles (without answering the question about his plan).
I’m already tired of listening to John McCain, when crap happens Republicans always want a bipartisan solution.
Wow, I am biased, to be sure, but Grampa Growler is rambling a lot tonight.
he is definitely rambling.
To be fair though, neither of them answered the question. I would’ve said “No. Not the way Bush and Paulson presented it.” and then talked about a future compromise package.
I guess this format lends itself to some rambling, the whole talking to each other thing is crap.
I wonder how much either candidate knows about any moment by moment negotiations.
Mccain what a rambler, question has to be represented
Tie Remarks
McCain: Candy Striper
Obama: Candy Striper Blood
McCain is going to veto every spending bill that comes across his desk.
…with a pen that isn’t old
is there a difference between Palin and McCain’s answers?
ooooooo, I need to light a candle that McCain’s temper makes an appearance.
Obama is being too polite.
I really wish Obama would stop saying how right John is in every answer he gives.
McCain looks creepy when he laughs.
I gotta tell you I can’t stand McCain tonight, especially the smiles and cackels, not that I ever could. I signed up for a rate the debate here maybe you want to as well.
He makes me sick. Stumpy little vile nasty man.
Yeah, long long ago I thought he was an ok dude, lol, but that’s way back in the past and he now lives where Liberman lives.
In a deep dark dank hole, I’m sure.
I can’t believe that McCain claims that spending got out of control without his help over the last 26 years.
I’ve thought that all Republicans are shit since I entered puberty, but I haven’t found McCain especially annoying tonight, given how these debates go. He doesn’t come across as dumb as Bush 2, for example.
As far as I can tell right now, this debate isn’t going to have much of an effect. If anything, it’s a plus for McCain, since he hasn’t had a senior moment yet.
The night is early.
No ethanol subsidies? Bye-bye Iowa.
wow. McCain is actually calling for the defense budget to be looked at [falls over in disbelief]
I see McCain has just given up all hope in Iowa and other midwestern states. He’ll eliminate ethanol subsidies.
McCain just lost the corn states – ethanol subsidies.
where has he been 26 years
I’m joining in he liveblogging to keep from throwing a brick at my teevee every time McCain opens his maw.
Obama is too polite keeps saying John is right. It’s a debate
Call him a piece of sh*t, Barack.
Yeah, just like everybody here at home does. 🙂
I wish I had a high def teevee so I could see how bad he looks.
I wish they’d give us a split screen showing that ugly scowl that’s creeping across is misshapen face every time Obama speaks.
I hope Obama takes a bite out of him on this “winning Iraq” shyt.
Did someone put nightshade in Lehrer’s cup of tea?
Is nuclear power popular?
Going for the pro-nuke vote. Great idea, Johnny.
Handing healthcare over to the federal government. Obama should beat him over the head with that one.
can we get a foreign policy question? Jesus.
Spending, John is such a fricken liar, his party spends more than ever in the history of man. How many times can J Mac repeat his stump lines.
He’s not miss congeniality?!! A revelation!!!
2rd time he’s said it tonight. I’ll bet we hear it a third. Mr. Short Term Memory and all.
That felt like a setup concerning Sarah Palin. He wanted Obama to bite on it so he could make some indignant speech. We will see the lipstick on a pig again in this campaign.
How can McCain tell us how this war would have been worse when he didn’t realize how be it would be?
So far I’d say that McCain is winning. He’s gotten in bigger and better hits that make better soundbites.
Obama was good when he hit McCain on voting with Bush. But that was it.
Although this whole “you were wrong series” is good for Obama.
I think I agree with you.
Did you know there’s peace and prosperity in Iraq today? I know it’s true, cause JMc told me…
yep.
Obama wants McCain to lose his temper but it looks to me like it is McCain who is getting Obama riled up. Although that’s not a bad thing – Obama needs to look more passionate and this might help him.
Grrrr, I want to reach into the screen and shake up that man.
Could someone mention that the violence is down because four and a half million refugees aren’t around to be killed.
Ooohh…. John’s gettin’riled up.
The difference between a tactic and a strategy?
Wait, Johnny’s wrapping himself in a flag.
were fighting for American Freedom in Iraq??
explain please, I thought it was about WMD..
The freedom for Mobil to pump Iraq’s oil onto our tankers.
I’m hearing W:
1)iraq central war on terror
2)fight them there not here
why doesn’t Obama talk about catching OBL
He’s a lying sack of sh*t. Lehrer, get out of the way.
McCain, that is.
Someone should mention to Obama that bin Laden isn’t in Afghanistan.
mccain sounds like he’s lecturing
for McCain every thing rides on Petraeus.
Obama scored a hit when he said McCain, who sang about bombing Iran, has no credibility re not threatening others.
Pakistan was a failed state in 1999?
Musharraf did a coup, No? ..elected government
McCain’s theme is “I don’t think Obama understands…”
yep.
Shorter McCain: I always vote for war.
It’s the economy stupid..At this stage we can’t afford to borrow to fund $10 billion a month for Iraq or any other war.
Well, he did say the defense budget was his priority over everything else.
McCain and defeat – that’s why he’s so dangerous. It’s personal to him that we don’t come back in defeat.
Here’s the problem.
No one is allowed to say that we’re in Iraq for the oil. And it’s for the interests of the oil companies.
Do you think this is changing anybody’s mind, or making an undecided voter pick one over the other?
Anyone who is undecided at this point is not a person who spends a lot of time thinking about politics and and most certainly is not a person who stays home on a Friday night to watch a debate.
Good point. So why do we even have these things?
No
Senator Obama doesn’t seem to understand that I’m not Miss Congeniality.
“The Iranians have a lousy government. Therefore they have a lousy economy.” McCain just said that.
Interesting observation. But doesn’t it apply at least as much to the US?
they’re not hurting for $$ laughing at us
They have an ancient culture. Something that is apparently inconceivable to both the debaters.
“senator mccain is absolutely right”
if obama says that ONE MORE TIME, I am going to have to crack open a bottle of scotch and be done with the night.
Yeah, Senator McCain is absolutely right that he is not Miss Congeniality.
It’s okay, I have trouble pronouncing his name too.
Good slam about who is powerful in Iran. Not that most people will understand.
You have sit down with your enemy’s, because sometimes you have tell them, you may have kick their ass if they don’t straighten up.
heh. Spain.
i think mccain is winning this debate….esp with a country full of dumbasses.
I think it’s about even. McCain just had his worst moment of the debate with his scheduling comment.
He does know how to play to the stupid.
mispronouncing ahminijiad will get him a ton of points….a lot of people can relate to that….
i want obama to go for the jugular
hillary would have zinged mccain a couple really good ones by now
this wonky vs folksy thing doesnt work to our advantage
did some guy in the audience just belch?
I think McCain won round one but I think Obama is winning foreign policy simply because he is holding his own and no one expected this.
Good point on Spain, McCain said days ago he would not meet with Spain thinking it was in this hemisphere.
Boring. ..but I like that Obama is energetic, forceful
Obama just lied that Russia started the conflict in Georgia. Surely he knows that’s not true. If he doesn’t, he should fire his foreign policy advisers.
When will the Dems ever learn, that the Republicans sell (if not do) imperialism better?
mccain repeated it
its a conspiracy
Obama did not say that.
It’s troubling that McCain keeps saying Obama doesn’t understand, I think O needs to say that to Mc.
That whole russian, georgia thing is such a he said, he said, thing.
Oh doesn’t he love to throw around the names of all his friends and “old friends.” He knows everyone!!!
mccain is coming across with the bigger penis
obama is coming across with the bigger brain
who are americans going to vote for?
i think penis will beat brain
Oh I hope you are not right, but I fear so….maybe the good thing is that only us politicos are watching this and not the masses.
Americans do love their large penises.
i cant believe i gave up a night of sex and making money for this
there are 3 words id like to hear more of
not “i love you”
not “you look thinner”
i wanna hear “thats a lie”
why cant obama just say those 3 words
woooo hooo here we go 911
whats with the torture stuff!!!!!!
cmon obama git him
Obama has just said that Venezuela is a rogue state. It didn’t even make Bush’s access of evil.
Rogue state = not a client of the US
Why does Obama remind me of New Coke?
giving mccain credit on the torture issue????????????????
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
iraq iraq iraq
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_ptqXqjsZw
Veterans, uh oh, is obama going to say he didn’t vote to help them????
Oh McCain, closing with prison, didn’t you just expect it.
if he wants to help the veterans he should come down to the philly va and change my uncle’s diaper.
since no one working there seems to want to do it
that sucked
i need a popsickle
Chris Matthews just said that McCain “was grumpy in his physical manner”. I think the debate will be portrayed by the media as a draw, which unfortunately, is the case.
Obama has the disadvantage that, being a Democrat, he is not allowed to play for his side.