Even though McCain has already declared victory, not to mention that he wouldn’t show up. The debate is about to begin.
Goal for Barack: To look, respond and react as an equal to McCain, but to do so in short bites and know when to shut up. Obama needs to have a response ready for McCain’s Reagan comment (see below).
Goal for McCain: To look like he isn’t 72 years old, while also not sounding condescending to Obama, while trying to pull a Reagan, which means not holding Obama’s youth and experience against him, as Reagan once said.
Let’s get ready…
McCain flunks the handshake moment. Wouldn’t make eye contact with Obama. Obama looks loose. First question on bailout plan. McCain starts out channeling Bush’s dismal demeanor, after mentioning Teddy Kennedy being in the hospital. “…and yes I went back to Washington,” McCain adds. Both candidates give word blizzards that didn’t answer Lehrer’s question at all. “Do you favor this plan?” Take two.
McCain mentions Eisenhower. Wonder if he knew him?
Lehrer is “determined to get” these guys to talk to each other.
Insert McCain platitudes about the American worker and blah-blah-blah. Tired, TIRED responses. … Throws out joke on bears that falls flat. Shows a pen for vetoes. I’m feeling very 1920s about McCain right now.
Obama says earmarks are $18b, while McCain is suggesting $300b for fat cats. Talks about “tax cut for 95% of working families.” Obama has learned something over the months. He’s talking retail, while McCain offers slogans.
McCain was called “the sheriff,” but he was “Miss Congeniality.”
Obama is standing up to McCain, and is now talking directly to him. McCain will not look at him. Obama is strong, again talking retail, economic realities, something he hasn’t been good at in the past. Nailed it tonight.
Lehrer once again asks McCain to TALK TO OBAMA. McCain still won’t do it. He’s facing forward and NOT ENGAGING.
Lehrer asks what the two candidates will “give up” due to the financial crisis. McCain finally scored points when he drew the problems in the military programs, but he cannot talk about anything domestic. Before that he offered yet more slogans. Obama was able to talk about priorities, but still won’t offer CUTS. Lehrer is trying, but both men just won’t be specific.
McCain offers a spending freeze, with only military and veterans affairs included. Obama says “you’re asking for a hatchet when we need a scalpel. Obama then talks about pre-school and other domestic programs. … ding-ding-ding, McCain mentions Senator Clinton on the environment. Was waiting for that one.
McCain on spending. Spending. Spending. It’s obvious he can’t talk policy specifics. All he can offer is talking points on the page in front of him.
Obama speaks up and tags McCain to Bush, voting with him over 90% of the time. McCain respond yet again by saying he’s “not Miss Congeniality,” and he’s a “maverick,” proud to have another maverick with him. That would be Palin.
FINALLY… What are the lessons of Iraq? McCain: “We are winning on Iraq. … We will come home with victory and honor.”
Obama just took McCain apart on Iraq, starting with the fact that it wasn’t wise to go in in the first place. Then he laid McCain out on him saying it would be easy. McCain practically jumped out of his suit on this one, but Obama nailed him to the wall on screwing this up by supporting the war in the first place. Obama also made sure to give credit to the troops as well. Not only is Obama keeping pace with McCain, he’s making point after point on the value of being in Iraq, coupling our national security challenges with Afghanistan.
Afghanistan… Obama: “We can’t separate Afghanistan from Iraq.” Says he would send troops there quickly. There was no al Qaeda before. Moves to Afghanistan and Pakistan as the central front, as Gates has said. TM NOTE: Finally, Central Asia is up front and center. That’s the most pressing danger to the U.S.
McCain: Quotes George Schultz on Pakistan. Blames Obama for attacking Pakistan. Insert “General Petraeus” over and over again. McCain wants to employ the same strategy that was in Iraq in Afghanistan. GOD HELP US.
OH, snap! Obama just landed a blow that has McCain visibly pissed. Obama said on “being prudent,” he basically wouldn’t listen to someone who “sang songs about bombing Iran.” Cha-ching.
McCain links Iraq to Vietnam, admitting, though he didn’t get it, that he’s trying to get victory for the first war from the second. It’s something I always believed about McCain on Iraq. He just admitted it.
McCain talks of a soldier’s mother. Obama responds he has a bracelet too. The mother who gave it to him wants no mother to experience what she has.
At this point McCain is clearly upset. Sniping. Temperament revealed. Not presidential. The other issue is that McCain has been condescending throughout, which is one thing he needed to watch, which he’s failed to do.
Iran… McCain: “It’s a existential threat to Israel” if Iran gets the bomb. “We cannot allow a second holocaust.” Obama: Republican Guard is a terrorist org., which I’ve always said they were. “The single thing that strengthened Iran is the war in Iraq.” Iran’s strength has grown, because of the policy in the last 8 years. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. It would not only hurt Israel, but the entire region. We will have to “engage in tough direct diplomacy with Iran.”
Obama keeps trying to engage McCain, looking at him, but McCain will not even look in Obama’s direction. It seems obvious to me, McCain is not a happy camper right now and it shows.
On diplomacy, Obama went at McCain using Kissinger, also saying that Ahmadinejad “may not be the most important person in Iran.” That he would reserve the right to meet with anyone as president in order to keep America safe. … .. Mentions the recent gaffe by McCain on Spain. “I don’t even have a seal yet,” snapped McCain.
McCain looks about to blow.
Russia: McCain runs off a lot of issues, pounds on the Ukraine. Obama finally brings this all back to energy, which is where Russia has their power. McCain voted against green energy “23 times” over the years. Energy is linked to national security, says Obama. McCain says Obama is against certain aspects of nuclear energy. Obama says he wants it to be stored safe.
AGAIN, Obama continues to try to personally engage McCain, who will not reciprocate.
Will another 9/11 occur… McCain: “We have a safer nation, but we are not safe.” Invokes Joe Lieberman and bi-partisanship. Obama: “We are safe in some ways. We’ve got a long way to go.” In terms of chemical plants, transits, with suitcase bombs the biggest threat. Millions of dollars on missile defense, which we need, according to Obama, but we’re not spending enough on nuclear proliferation. “We can’t simply be focused on Iraq.” Al Qaeda is now in 60 countries. “How we’re perceived in the world” matters. “We’re less respected,” even though we’re the greatest country on earth. He then gives a nod to McCain on torture, finishing with shining city on a hill. As McCain brings it back to Iraq, after saying missile defense helped end the cold war. Then he goes back to General Petraeus.
Our whole focus has been on Iraq, with bin Laden still out there, Obama adds. Then he mentions China, finally. The first time in the debate this nation, who holds a lot of our debt, has been mentioned.
McCain is insulting Obama, saying he doesn’t have the experience or the judgment. The lack of respect McCain is showing Obama is revealing of his own insecurity. He has shown a side of himself tonight, ungracious and sniping. Obama remained graceful, up beat and presidential throughout, something McCain absolutely was not.
