The First Presidential Debate

Both candidates in the debate seemed to avoid specific answers to the questions asked. Dan Kenitz states in his post on BipolarNation that McCain did a better job. I disagree however. McCain seemed almost agitated and antsy when answering his questions, as well he didn't seem very attentive to Obama's responses. I do agree with Kenitz that neither candidate had a blowout. They seemed to argue more about the economy than discussing other issues, like foreign policy. I also agree with Kenitz that while Obama isn't the best debater, McCain's strange facial gestures (that weird smile he makes when Obama criticizes him) distracted me from his own points. The fact that both candidates spent a half hour on the economy rather than on foreign affairs is troubling, not to mention it's hard to make a good impression on what each candidate believes about foreign policy. Kenitz argument that McCain held his own in the debate seems laughable to me. It really felt like McCain didn't know anything about the facts he was stating. The fact that Republicans want to give Obama a hard time for not remembering the name of the soldier on his wristband seems like they want to avoid the real issues. Kenitz also claims that Obama is smug, when he looked down to see the name of the soldier. This seems like a personal attack on Obama, detracting from the real problems. To be honest and clear, a candidates personal life is really of no importance, as long as they deliver on the goods and promises they make when running for office. If a man saves 100 people and goes home to beat his wife (unlikely), it isn't the public's judgment that particularly matters. Our personal life is personal. Kenitz makes an argument that neither candidate won, and that people generally "think their candidate won." He claims ironically that you could put Cookie Monster from Sesame Street on the debate and he would win because of his "insistence on spelling and constant reference to the word cookies." It's hard to believe that Dan Kenitz actually watched the debate after this statement. I do think Obama was better off after the debate that McCain. Obama gave much more specific answers though he wasn't always on topic. Obama seemed like he was giving answers, while McCain just spat out babble. It was hard to understand McCain's stance on the issues, like the bail-out plan for mortgages. In Kenitz final statement, he makes the case that McCain was more specific about his answers to foreign policy questions, like about what countries he has been to and when. It seems completely irrelevant to the debate though. Is it very essential to know when a candidate has been in another country? Not unless it's an inquiry into what they were doing there, and this doesn't seem like the case for either candidate. I'm curious about the next debate and if Obama or McCain will change their stance on an issue.