Second Presidential Debate - Quick Reaction

It's good to be back in the saddle again! I just finished watching the second Presidential debate that was held earlier tonight, and my general impression is that nothing much changed. I like what Rich Lowry said:

I thought McCain was good. It's as passionate and well-informed as he's ever been on domestic policy. His debate briefers did their job well. I think he repeatedly scored points in the first hour, but they were jabs rather then crosses—blows that Obama could absorb. If McCain were running in a year when his party wasn't getting crushed by a series of calamites, he might be winning this race. But tonight obviously wasn't enough. Obama, meanwhile, just has to appear plausible and he did. In fact, he's a kind of genius at appearing plausible. If the Nobel committee had a prize for appearing plausible, he'd win it every time. He carries himself with confidence, he never appears flustered, and he has mastered his material. If he's losing these debates on points (as I think he is), it doesn't matter.

I think this sums up my impression pretty well - Obama is still far more style than substance, but he's so good at the style that his substance doesn't much matter. We all know that his Obots don't care if he sucks his thumb and cries for mommy, they'll say it looks Presidential. The problem McCain has is that he isn't putting out any game-changers in these debates. He took some good shots at the beginning (as Lowry mentioned), which is great, but he needs to get more forceful and powerful about this. He needs to get this message across in a captivating way that people can understand.

I have to give credit to Obama for being very well prepared - for being horrendous at speaking off the teleprompter, he's been really solid in both of the debates so far. The thing that amazes me is that if you listen to his words, he almost sounds like a conservative at times - tax cuts for middle class, strong military, etc. The problem is that his record shows a complete zero with him actually following through on statements like that.

That's what I find is the most maddeningly frustrating thing about this process - he can say anything he wants despite having no record of following through, because the media simply isn't willing to hold him accountable to that reconciliation. That's where McCain has problems - he hasn't yet been able to pin Obama down to the mis-match between words and actions. He's been pointing things out, and is getting better as we get closer to the election, but time is running out to score some home runs. I think McCain is ahead on points, especially when you take into account the next-day-fact-checking, but most voters aren't going to see all of that. McCain has got to get some major scores in the third and final debate, or he's going to have a hard time pulling out the victory.

Still, there is a lot of time left, and a LOT can -- and will -- happen between now and November 4th. You'll hear about it here.

If I see some great narrative or analysis (or outright lies to debunk), I'll be sure to pass it along.

There's my two cents.