McCain had the upperhand in foreign affaires, which is to be expected, and his arguments were strong. I think just walking out of Iraq without a phased withdrawal could be dangerous, but McCain’s reasons for staying in Iraq are still driven more by military instincts than politics, such as ‘we will win this war’, rather than we made a mistake and it is our responsibility to the Iraqi people to clear it up. I also think he is right in that some sort of precondition needs to be set before meeting with the leaders of states such as Iran. But Obama may have been rebelling against what he sees as preconditions that are belligerent, and not conducive to dialogue. Maybe he believes in that old expression, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Obama made veiled references to the cost of the Iraq war, which hasn’t received the same publicity as the current financial crisis. So a big boost to him there.
Neither touched on the current financial crisis, which is wise given the number of people who were duped into believing the Iraq war was the right thing to do.
On health care, Obama wins hands down, but that is my own personal bias. The US has possibly the worst health care system in the developed world. I am sorry if that displeases anyone, but I feel very strongly that that is the case, and with some credentials to back it up.
On the issue of how their personas come across, Obama comes across as being perhaps a little naive that being nice to McCain will work in his favor. He is calm, but every now and then pauses, and seems a little unsure of himself. His answers were rehearsed, but only a fool is going to attempt to improvise in a presidential debate. McCain’s body language really lets him down. He is awkward, faltering, nervous, which all puts the spotlight on his age. He has an almost Churchillian way about him. One thing the media did not pick up on was he rarely if at all looked at his opponent. This made him look arrogant, and some will say he is a racist.
So in conclusion, no really clear winners but youth and judgement, may just have had the edge on experience and tradition.
