Reflections on the Miracle of Democracy at Work in the Greatest Nation on Earth

McCain versus Obama debate thread

A thread for discussion of the US presidential debate as it happens. As with last week’s vice-presidential debate, I won’t tell you shut up if you indulge in partisan name-calling. The other thread remains open for those wishing to discuss the presidential race more broadly.

180 Comments

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  1. 101
    Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:15 pm | Permalink

    McCain’s suggestion for Treasury Secretary Meg Whitman is the former CEO of eBay. eBay just announced that it was firing 10 percent of its work force!

  2. 102
    Inner Westie
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:15 pm | Permalink

    “Talk soft but carry a big stick.”

    Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran!

  3. 103
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:15 pm | Permalink

    McCain wants eaqual time.

  4. 104
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:16 pm | Permalink

    brokaw just gave mccain right to respond to something obama said and think earlier, obama didn’t get that same reply in turn …… haven’t been watching every minute though.

    is brokaw being fair so far in this debate? (from anyone who hasn’t missed any of it)

  5. 105
    Inner Westie
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:16 pm | Permalink

    “I’m not going to telegraph my punches.”

    Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran!

  6. 106
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:16 pm | Permalink

    How does McCain know about sending American troops to war?

    Was he President in a previous life?

    Is the reincarnation of Teddy Roosevelt?

  7. 107
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:18 pm | Permalink

    showson, don’t think mccain subscribes to rolling stone [ought to though so he can read about what really happens in a war time theatre] LOL ……

  8. 108
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:19 pm | Permalink

    question – how to organize strategy in afghanistan? worm flat lines during his answer …..

  9. 109
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:20 pm | Permalink

    sorry – talking about mccain’s answer in #108

  10. 110
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:20 pm | Permalink

    Worm likes McCain talking tough on Russia.

  11. 111
    Dario
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:20 pm | Permalink

    Hahaha, this is a good one someone has already picked up on the debate…

    McCain touts the economic prowess of, and suggests as a future Treasury Secretary Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay and someone who he has turned to for economic advice in the past. Normally, this is a solid point for McCain to press, highlighting entrepreneurship and the growth of female business leaders. The problem: eBay just announced that it was firing 10 percent of its work force.

  12. 112
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:21 pm | Permalink

    Men especially.

  13. 113
    Sarah Stokely
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:21 pm | Permalink

    McCain: “I looked Putin in the eyes and saw the letters K, G, B there.” Has he been getting debating coaching from Sarah Palin?

  14. 114
    Gary Bruce
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:21 pm | Permalink

    McCain has tried to sound strong but in doing so has used words and phrases which have given the impression of him being condescending.

  15. 115
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:22 pm | Permalink

    if anyone out there can’t get live tv feed for this, apparently SMH has live feed via their website, checking in on SMH news articles now and that is what they advertise ……

  16. 116
    Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:22 pm | Permalink

    The GOP is complaining that this debate is “not really a townhall”. And the Dems have sent out an email to the reporters saying

    Did John McCain just refer to Obama as "that one"?

  17. 117
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:23 pm | Permalink

    McCain: “I looked Putin in the eyes and saw the letters K, G, B there.” Has he been getting debating coaching from Sarah Palin?

    He said that in the first debate.

  18. 118
    sondeo
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:23 pm | Permalink

    juliem, the bloggers @ the Daily Kos are going off over how biased Brokaw is to McCain.

    And a lot of aggro over ” that one” jibe.

  19. 119
    Dario
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:23 pm | Permalink

    The GOP is complaining that this debate is “not really a townhall”

    Are the audience asking any questions?

  20. 120
    Darn
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:23 pm | Permalink

    Don’t know if it’s a good idea for Obama to be talking about rebuilding other people’s economies in the present climate.

    I don’t have the worm. How did it respond to that?.

  21. 121
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:24 pm | Permalink

    Are the audience asking any questions?

    They’ve asked most of the questions. But there is one question then 6 minutes of answering, so it doesn’t seem like they’ve asked much.

  22. 122
    ltep
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:24 pm | Permalink

    juliem, of course bloggers could go to the ABC website for the feed. Choose ABC over commercial people.

  23. 123
    Inner Westie
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:25 pm | Permalink

    “We will bring our troops home with honour and victory, and not with defeat.”

    - Dick Cheney (referring to army reserve soldiers during the federal response to Hurricane Katrina)

  24. 124
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:26 pm | Permalink

    Good question about Israel ……. IF Iran attacks Israel, would you commit troops unilaterly or wait for a UN Security council resolution?

  25. 125
    Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:26 pm | Permalink

    John McCain calls General David Petraeus the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He actually heads up U.S. Central Command.

    McCain should know this. Everyone expects him to know this.

  26. 126
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:27 pm | Permalink

    no worries 122, i’ve got tunnel vision at the moment ;-) ……

  27. 127
    Dario
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:27 pm | Permalink

    They’ve asked most of the questions

    Then they should shut the hell up ffs

  28. 128
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:28 pm | Permalink

    McCain answered the question but beat around the bush so bad that I can’t remember if he said he would wait for the US Security council or not?

  29. 129
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:29 pm | Permalink

    Should be UN Security Council ……

  30. 130
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:29 pm | Permalink

    McCain: WE CAN NEVER ALLOW A SECOND HOLOCAUST, THE FIRST ONE DID NOT HAVE GOOD RATINGS, SO THE SEQUEL CAN NOT GO AHEAD.

  31. 131
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:30 pm | Permalink

    guess that they both said they would support israel but don’t think either one answered would they wait for the un security council or not ….

  32. 132
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:31 pm | Permalink

    michelle obama in the audience tonight :)

  33. 133
    Inner Westie
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:31 pm | Permalink

    The “what don’t you know” question goes first to Obama.

  34. 134
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:31 pm | Permalink

    question – what don’t you know and how will you learn it? (to both candidates)

  35. 135
    Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:32 pm | Permalink

    The Repugs are really whining about Brokaw’s format not helping McCain. They’re very unhappy.

  36. 136
    Andos
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:32 pm | Permalink

    That’s a fail on the last question.

  37. 137
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:33 pm | Permalink

    135,

    diogenes, if they are whining about the format, they apparently can’t wine about the moderator ……

  38. 138
    Inner Westie
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:34 pm | Permalink

    “What I don’t know is what the unexpected will be.”

    A textbook example of a platitude.

  39. 139
    juliem
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:34 pm | Permalink

    mccain rambling on about serving the country …… right, now that we’ve all read the real story we know better …..

  40. 140
    sondeo
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:34 pm | Permalink

    Dio @ 138: I thought the Repubs, and McCain especially wanted to do “Town Hall ” debates, as McCain reckoned they were his strong point.?

  41. 141
    Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:36 pm | Permalink

    sondeo

    They’re complaining that it wasn’t a real “town hall” debate, where the format is very loose and there’s lots of interaction between the debators and the audience.

  42. 142
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:38 pm | Permalink

    “What I don’t know is what the unexpected will be.”

    A textbook example of a platitude.

    Well it is one of those job interview questions “name your greatest weakness?”
    And to answer it you have to turn it into a strength “Sometimes I work TOO hard” “Sometimes I am so well organised that I don’t consider alternate approaches”.

  43. 143
    Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:38 pm | Permalink

    Drudge’s online poll obviously says McCain won but Matty has a one word headline “BORING”. That’s a win for Obama in my book.

  44. 144
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:38 pm | Permalink

    Drudge’s online poll obviously says McCain won but Matty has a one word headline “BORING”. That’s a win for Obama in my book.

    His poll said Palin won 75/25

  45. 145
    Glen
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:39 pm | Permalink

    McCain clearly won the debate, Obama was out of his depth especially wanting to trash the rules half way through he looked like a deer in the headlights.

    Obama 1
    McCain 1

    The next debate is the decider!

  46. 146
    Dario
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:39 pm | Permalink

    CNN scores as of 1:30pm AEDT has Obama in front by all 6 analysts

    http://img55.imageshack.us/my.php?image=90668d1223433102septembnk0.png

  47. 147
    Dario
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:40 pm | Permalink

    McCain clearly won the debate, Obama was out of his depth especially wanting to trash the rules half way through he looked like a deer in the headlights

    blah blah blah, blah blah, blah blah blah blah

    Personally I think my comment made more sense

  48. 148
    Glen
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:41 pm | Permalink

    Wow who didnt pick that its CNN Dario god wake up!

  49. 149
    Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:42 pm | Permalink

    Evidently McCain said “my friends” twenty times.

  50. 150
    Al
    Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 1:42 pm | Permalink

    Pretty boring debate. I thought the only really interesting moment was McCain leaving Obama hanging afterwards when Obama offered a handshake.

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