McCain/Obama Debate

I was watching the debate this evening but it finally became more than I could stand. What a lot of hot air about nothing. McCain for the most part looks lost and confused, rather like Grandpa Simpson. His answers ramble on and seem to not be related to the question asked. Obama is even more a big bag of hot air. He is just repeating lines from his stump speeches. You could just put up a picture of him and play back a speech of his and it would be the same effect. Jim Lerher is trying to keep them on issue but he is not really all that effective. Instead of trying to get them to engage each other the format should be more like a college debate, question, answer and rebuttal.

McCain at least seems to be somewhat dignified in his responses and overall demeanor. Obama is trying, a little too hard, to look and act like an average guy. He keeps using first names and such but he is coming off as a little disrespectful. I did notice that the flag pin was back in his lapel, for what ever that is worth. Who picked out McCain's tie, it is not bad just a little too loud for TV.

The biggest disappointment is the total lack of substance. I know the first debate was to be on foreign policy but with the financial news this last week a change of topic was surely called for. Even so neither candidate is doing a bang up job or even relating a position that they haven't already stated 100 times before. We do understand that Obama believes that the Iraq war was a mistake, so lets hear how we get out of it. How do we regain our lost status as a world leader for right and good. Obama is rather silent on those issues. McCain has nothing to say about Afghanistan, but that is where the war against terror started. What about bin Laden? Again neither candidate has talked about him or finding him. What about Pakistan? For a debate on foreign policy there has been very little said about it.

The problem is using members of the news media as moderators. They are throwing them softballs just like they always do. I would rather there be questions from the public in a free form manner. Then there would be questions with some meat on them. There also needs to be a way to make them answer and not just give their stump speech or the party line. We have been being feed platitudes and double talk for the last year. We want and need to hear some real answers and plans to the real issues we are facing.