I started by setting the alarm for 10am, Melbourne time, even though the debate was scheduled to be televised live from 12 noon. After 'retiring' at 4am last night, I just wanted to be sure I didn't oversleep.
Thirty minutes before starting time, I set a chair (not too comfortable, not too hard) right in front of my tiny wee television set -- in the front stalls -- put a Shepherd's Pie in the oven to heat, and opened a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. (Yes, at midday. But then, I'm an Aussie.) I put a spiral notebook beside the chair and added a propelling pencil with a nice soft black lead. I was alone, and this was to be a party.
The Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) telecast started right on time. McCain was barely out of the gate before he made his first smarmy remark -- a reference to Town Halls, and the implication that Obama would not debate him on his terms in town halls. No more than three seconds in, he was on-form and exhibiting sarcasm.
On the Bailout Obama had to correct McCain's facts again -- and, as he said: "Not surprisingly."
On question 3, McCain was quick to introduce his bipartisanship, which Obama discounted by bringing up the fact that when Bush came in after Clinton, the US had a national surplus. As he pointed out, that debt has almost doubled in the last eight years.
The participants were pretty even until about a half hour in, when McCain appeared to be fading. McCain said he believed his administration could handle several new challenges at once, but it popped into my mind that he wasn't able to do that when the financial crisis hit and he had to cancel his campaign in order to concentrate on one thing at a time. I was wishing Obama would bring that up.
Then Obama mentioned 9/11 and Bush's memorable exhortation to the American people to 'go out and shop'. Yes, wasted opportunity!
'Use 'em or you lose 'em" was also a forceful soundbite from Obama, but now I can't remember what it referred to, on doubling the Peace Corps perhaps? His line about not using a hatchet for budget cuts, rather a scalpel, was an excellent metaphor. You could almost 'feel' the cut!
On questions 6 and 7, it was a bit of tie, although McCain won the Sarcasm Award on Social Security. When Question 8 loomed, on Congress moving forward with the Environment, McCain seemed to be losing it, repeating himself on nuclear power whilst Obama saw it 'not as a challenge, but as an opportunity', gaining a tick from my soft lead pencil. Obama also gained a couple of points for suggesting that the new energy technologies could be exported, and especially for pointing out that Congress has been debating this for 30 years, and McCain "has been there 'or 26 of 'em!"
McCain was very stumbly on Healthcare as a Commodity (10) -- but Obama's response was not only just adequate, but worse -- it was dull.
Just after the 1 hr mark, when discussing foreign policy, I felt McCain walked right into it when he talked about knowing when to go in to war and when not to. But Obama didn't pick him up on it, missing an opportunity, which he addressed later, to talk about the original vote to to into Iraq. Did you notice the aggressive look that McCain shot to Obama as he finished his piece?
On the question of Pakistan from Katie, McCain stressed; "I know how to handle these crises..." but I didn't like Obama's mention of 'BombBombBomb Iran' which seemed somewhat petty. I think he was prepared for McCain to be more aggressive, and when he wasn't, Obama left the line in anyway.
Obama's message about 'seeing around corners', seeing the 21st century challenges (was that a dig?) and being proactive, not reactive, were excellent. I hadn't heard it expressed that way before. Obama won clearly on Foreign Policy. Much more statesmanlike, much more in control, much more confident -- and when we think that this is supposed to be McCain's forte, he was way behind and sort-of just puddling along...
McCain again said he wouldn't approve of sitting down with enemies, a clearly failing position, and Obama countered well with 'we have to use all the tools at our disposal'.
Three quarters through, my scribble ran across the page. in big bold letters...
McCain seems old and passe. Obama has the new energy.
McCain appeared stumbly, old fashioned, unsure... so 'last century'! Obama seemed ready to take us in a new direction.
Obama won on the final question hands-down, speaking with passion. Discussing his single mother, his grandmother, the food stamps, even though we have heard it before, was fresh and relevant. Then came his question: "Are we gonna pass on the dream to the next generation?"
McCain's reply, talking about the 'unexpected' and unprecedented new challenges, seemed to me to show he is patently too old to embrace the new. He doesn't move fast enough. The team would be like: "Get out of the way John..."
McCain's last line was unfortunate -- he said, and I'm paraphrasing, something like "I will always put my country first."
The vision of his scary Vice Presidential choice leapt in front of my eyes and I couldn't help an involuntary cry to the television: "Like hell you do!"