Write First, Think Later: Live Blogging the Debate

On my hotel room flat screen it looks like McCain and Obama are both wearing the same black suit and white shirt. Must have been a really good sale.... Obama's now apparently afraid to appear in public without his flag pin.


Opening question as expected from John Q Public what can you do for me to help me out of the economic crisis?

Both candidates launch into predictable and tired stump speech talking points we heard in the last debate

6:08
Moderator Tom Brokaw breaks from agreed rules and asks his own question and it's a good one: who would you name as treasury secretary?

McCain goes first and gives a bit of a deer in headlights then suggests eBay CEO Meg Whitman who recently said McCain isn't qualified to run a major corporation.

Obama says Warren Buffet.

Round one to Obama

6:15
I'm wondering who these voters are.... I mean anyone who hasn't decided who to vote for by now doesn't strike me as a bunch of people who are paying attention.

Brokaw: Is the economy going to get worse before it gets better?

We all know that's probably the case, but do we want to here that from the next president? Apparently neither of them think so because they are ducking the question

6:18
How can we trust you with our money when both parties got us into the crisis?

Obama deftly compares the austerity now implemented in many American households to the reckless spending in the Washington, then reminds us that W squander the
deficit.

McCain channels his inner Slick Willy and feels the voter's pain.

"Senator Obama has never taken on the leaders of his party on a single issue"

True enough.

Who designed these chairs the candidates are sitting on? Impossible not to look awkward on the 3/4 size director's chair....

Not sure how we got here, but now McCain's talking about offshore oil drilling....

Brokaw: Health Care, energy, Social Security/Medicare entitlements, what's your top priority if the three?

McCain says all three. Me, too declares Obama.

6:26
Wishing Sarah Palin was here. Entertainment value is lacking and I have learned nothing I didn't already know.

!st internet question: Depression era voter wants to know what sacrifices they would ask us to make.

RIGHT ON Grandma!

McCain says cut the fat in the federal budget (I recall Reagan promising the same thing before he was elected and exploded the deficit). Now he's talking about earmarks.

McCain recommends spending freeze bit not for the bulk of federal spending like
defense and social security.

6:30
Obama invokes 9/11 and our collective willingness to pull together. Talks about wiser use of energy. McCain's on his feet. He';s getting a whiff of FDR and that makes him Herbert Hoover so it's time to pounce, Rezko? Rev Wright? "He doens;t understand?"

6:33
Brokaw: how do we get spending in line?

Obama says we have to gee spending in line but apparently that won't affect his health care plan or any of hte other promises he's made.

Tax the rich. OK, as long as I don't make the cut. In the democratic debates, I recall Obama saying anyone who made 115,000 or more was "upper class" Sounds like a lot of money until you try to get but a house in California.

McCain invokes Hoover himself, saying he has something in common with Obama, as they both raised taxes in a recession.

6:38

Brokaw: can you guarantee (the answer to any question that begins that way is no) that you will deal with social security and medicare in the first two years of your administration?

Obama says no, but want to address it in the first term. Good luck. Now he;s pivoting into his tax plan. Glad I'm writing down the qyuestions because by the time they finish talking its hard to remember what the questionwas inte first place.
Now he says he can lower taxes on 95 % of us and that will save social secuity.

McCain reminds us Reagan helped bal out social sewcurity but doesn;t acknowledge it came at the expense of a tax hike.

6:43
Climate change and green jobs?

McCain has street cred on this one. Telling us that we need to go nuclear, not what a lot of us want to hear, but probably what we need to hear.

Hafway point and so far Obama hasn't made a misstep so conventional wisdom would have to say he's winning because McCain needs to make the voters afraid of electing him.

Brokaw: Manhatan project vs Silicon valley garage model for energy research?

McCain: Casual nod to acknowleging the question and now he's bashing Obama for a vote laden with pork on energy.

Should have made "my friends" one of the drinking game cues.....

6:50

Should health care be a commodity? Not sure what the hell that means. Neither does Obama, but it's an opportunity to draw a clear distinction between his own flawed plan and McCain ridiculous excuse for more free market as a solution

6:54

McCain says we need more choice. We just can't support "gold plaited" policies. I remember hearing still President Bush describe good health care that way. Way to show you understand the struggle of people who need some medical attention. Anything that will actually pay ofr real treatment is a luxury.

Obama reminds us about how his mother died of cancer in her 50's and spent the last months of her life arguing with insurance companies who didn;t want to pay for her treatment. Feel my pain! Feel it now. Write me a gold plaited script for vicadin

6:59
Who will recent events affect our ability to be a peace maker?

McCain opens with obvious platitutes-- we need a strong economy to have a strong mility. Now he's telling us we need to use sound jedgement on using military power.

SAY WHAT?

Time for Obama open a can of Iraq war whoop-ass.....

Obama, thanks for teeing that one up for me John. Now he's beating McCain over teh head on judgement of going to war and what it's costing. I had almost forgotten about the Iraqi surplus but Obama is remoinding me how angry I am about that. Makes me want to invade tham and take the oil and... oh, right.....

7:05
Whats the Obama doctrine for the use of force?

Moral issues count. The Holocost, Rwanda... says we have to work with our allies. Maybe we might get some back after W isn;t president anymore.

McCain says Obama is a panty waist quitter. Didn;t support the surge. Obama wants defeat. McCain wants victory. Obama's a fraidy cat. Invoking Reagan again.

7:08

Should we respect Pakistan's border's and not use military force without permission?

Obama reminds us how W let Bin Laden get away.

Witching from PBS to CNN which has live people meter response graphics to tell me how others are responding to what's being said. Saves the effort of forming my own opinions. Thanks CNN!

McCain: Invokes Teddy Roosevelet. CNN People meter says:ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ


blah blah blah waseristan blah blah blah Talk softly but carry a big stick blah blah blah

Obama: I did not call for the invason of Pakistan damnit! I want to get the terrorists! People meter says, uh-huh.

7:15

McCain: "Pants on fire, Senator Whipper Snapper!" CNN people meter has gone to th

kitchen to get a beer.....

6:18

McCain's scolding Obama again for failing to hail his brillinat strategic leadership on the surge, especially now that McCain schooled Obama in ht last debate on the difference between tactics and strategy. Take that Merriam-Webster!
CNN People meter is wondering what's on cartoon network....


Q: what should we do about Russia?

Mccain says get tough, won't get swept off his feet like W. CNN people meter, which differnetiatates male and female responses, shows men likely the tough talk, women less so, but it still gets them a little hot....

About Russia, Obama says, oh hell I wasn't paying attention but CNN people meter says women liked it beter than men.

At least Mccain is looking at Obama this time as opposed to last time. If only we could harness the hatred McCain has for Obama and suse it to fuel our cars....

questions from a military man: would we go to war for Israel?

Mccain says Iran is a threat, can;t get nukes. CNN people meter puts down the potato chips and starts to listen.

Obama says no to nukes for Iran. People meter will go along with that. People meter likes this talk of using dipolomacy. Sounds cheaper than Iraq. Let the French pay for a change....

7:30 overtime because of long winded answers
Last question: what don;t you know and how will you learn it?

Obama doesn;t know what that means so he talks about how his grandma and mother scrimped and saved to make him a success..


McCain says, well, not sure, beause I zoned out.

Now it's time for the pundits to tell me what I think. Time to switch from CNN back to PBS.... My guess is they'll say Obama won by not losing.