Obama Looks Presidential ... McCain Looks Angry, Tired And Living In The Past

Sen. Barack Obama went confidently on Sen. John McCain's political turf (a debate at the University of Mississippi, in Oxford, largely centered on foreign policy) an had a strong performance ... one this blogger believes he solidly won. Of course, our "friends" at Fox News Channel shockingly see it the other way, but are we really surprised by that? I think not. Most of what I took in from the post-debate coverage was from CNN to get a more unbiased perspective (or at least more balanced perspective) on how Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain performed in this first presidential debate (one that Sen. McCain was gracious enough to show up to). Sen. Obama was strong and decisive in his comments. It was noticeable to me that he talked many times directly to Sen. McCain who looked away, looked at moderator Jim Lehrer, looked at the crowd and looked down at his podium. Sen. Obama was confident and well-versed on foreign policy and looked very presidential. There is no doubt in my mind that Sen. Obama won the debate (although I do concede that McCain had a strong finish). McCain appeared far too condescending, angry at times and rattled as he fumbled over mispronounced names of the Pakistan president and the Iranian president. It was interesting to me to listen to the conservative panel on Fox News Channel declare Sen. McCain the winner and ignore some of his pronunciation gaffes, the fact that he said the Iraq war would be quick and easy, that we knew where the (still yet-to-be-found) weapons of mass destruction were located and so on and so forth. Sen. Obama was strong, he was level-headed, he was well-prepared, and his delivery was very strong.