The First Debate

OK, I'm biased. But I think my bias comes from a serious study of the issues and the players.

John McCain did better than I thought he would do in the first debate.

Judged purely from the viewpoint of debate alone, i.e. by how well arguments were made, not how closely they agree with my personal views, I also think McCain lost every round.

I came away from the debate with the impression that Barack Obama is more intellectually capable and a far better communicator than John McCain is.

I also came away with the impression that John McCain's worldview is very much yesterday; somewhat simplistic and tinged with paranoia. In my opinion, that view (shared by Dubya) is THE direct cause of most of the mess we've made of foreign policy.

As I listened to McCain speak, it was often incredibly easy to imagine George Bush saying the same things.

If the next four years are gonna be like the last eight...I don't even want to think about it.