# September 26 - The First Obama-McCain Debate **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 26, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357 "2008-09-26T16:49:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/321 "2008-09-27T02:47:57Z")
I think Obama will get the bump because people will be more comfortable with him on foreign policy. He looked like he knew what he was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/322 "2008-09-27T02:48:06Z")
> [@fiztig](#): > > Obama is being very polite with McCain. Too polite. Those “he doesn’t understand” condescending comments need a serious slapdown. I’m not sure that his polite and steady approach is coming across very well. It came across to me very well; but then I’m a fan of a polite and steady approach. That “Sen. Obama just doesn’t understand” reminded me of my kids when they hit their snotty teens. Very unbecoming on a grown man. ---
**Author:** ![Linear\_Crack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Linear\_Crack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linear_Crack)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/323 "2008-09-27T02:48:07Z")
Without a doubt-- first debate scorecard: McCain: Won Nobama: Zero ---
**Author:** ![Discordia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Discordia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discordia)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/324 "2008-09-27T02:48:20Z")
Seemed like a draw or slight win on points to McCain. No particularly memorable moments, would be surprised if it changes anything much. ---
**Author:** ![fiztig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f19dbf/32.png) [@fiztig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiztig)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/325 "2008-09-27T02:48:34Z")
Obama should also have said: “John, just because you say it, doesn’t make it so”. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/326 "2008-09-27T02:48:44Z")
Can somebody please slap Rudy Giuliani? ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/327 "2008-09-27T02:49:18Z")
I’d call it a draw. But I have to say that Obama needs to take the gloves off, and I hope he does in the next debates. Nice guys (too nice) get nowhere in America. That is so weird that McCain didn’t look at Obama the whole time. creepy doesn’t cover it. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/328 "2008-09-27T02:49:25Z")
“John, you ignorant slut!” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/329 "2008-09-27T02:49:43Z")
I would really like for Obama to have called McCain out on the constant distortions, something along the line of, “John, I know you’ve done your homework for this debate, but you’re just not clear on what’s in my political record or yours. I know that voters will be double-checking the truth of what you’re saying and what I’m saying, and I hope that during the next debate, you’ll stick closer to the facts.” Constantly defending himself against each individual lie was getting old. He needed to confront the pattern of dishonesty head-on. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Camus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ba8739/32.png) [@Camus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Camus)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/330 "2008-09-27T02:49:47Z")
Hate to say it, but it seems like McCain marginally won this debate. McCain, like Bush before the 2004 debates, seemed to be the debate’s underdog and managed to poke at Obama at every possible opportunity. Obama hit back in substance but never seemed to in style. McCain acted like he was in a street brawl and Obama acted like he was in a duel. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/331 "2008-09-27T02:50:14Z")
> [@Linear\_Crack](#): > > Without a doubt-- first debate scorecard: > > McCain: Won > Nobama: Zero We’re going to have to wait until the pundits tell the public what to think before we know the real result. ---
**Author:** ![Aankh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/332 "2008-09-27T02:50:27Z")
I’m just going to quote my post from earlier in this thread. That’s how I feel about this debate. > [@aankh](#): > > Neither am I American, nor do I live in America. For the record, I hope to hell Obama wins. > > I think McCain’s rhetoric so far speaks to the layperson far better than Obama’s does. > > If a person had shallow knowledge about what was going on worldwide - and this would equate to a very large segment of the world’s population - they would think McCain was the one scoring all the points. Not that he isn’t at times, but they \*would \* think he had Obama on the run. He’s talking in very simplistic terms, sure, but if I know nothing, it would sound right to me and bugger the experts, 'cos people like me are the majority. There’s something about his gentle and slow speech that comes across well on screen. He’s periodically thrown out some jargon and facts - ‘perestroika’, that odd thing about North Korean height, etc - that make him sound informed and it just looks good. Obama in contrast seems just a tad heated and that’s not good. > > I’m going back to the TV in the other room. Here’s to Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/333 "2008-09-27T02:50:52Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > I’d call it a draw. But I have to say that Obama needs to take the gloves off, and I hope he does in the next debates. Nice guys (too nice) get nowhere in America. That is so weird that McCain didn’t look at Obama the whole time. creepy doesn’t cover it. He was addressing the moderator. It may not have been the best strategy, but I’m not sure it was all that “creepy.” Now, if McCain simply stared at Obama throughout the debate…_that_ would have been creepy! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/334 "2008-09-27T02:51:09Z")
Did everyone already know that Iraq was our new bestest friend forever? ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/335 "2008-09-27T02:51:28Z")
All things aside, that was a pretty good debate no? Credit to both candidates for not being little pansies like Bush and Kerry. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/336 "2008-09-27T02:52:03Z")
"Gen. Petraeus Gen Petraeus! Gen Petraeus! Gen Petraeus Gen Petraeus! Oh oh oh Gen Petraeus!" ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/337 "2008-09-27T02:52:09Z")
Maybe I’m biased, but I think McCain just won this debate. He sounded firm and decisive the whole time, not at all like the senile old man Obama’s campaign has been portraying him as. Obama seemed detached at first, but then he started to get a little angry and kept holding up his finger, which I don’t think is going to make a good impression. This is seriously going to keep McCain’s campaign going now that the Palin buzz has worn off. Now he just has to worry that Palin doesn’t screw up while debating Biden, but Biden has a pretty much equal chance of screwing up, so this looks pretty good for the Republicans. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ETA: **Lakai** , seconded. This debate was far superior. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/338 "2008-09-27T02:52:18Z")
If anyone says McCain won they’re lying or biased or something. Obama was able to give the American people a look showing he is a safe choice for President. That IMHO was what he needed to do. I’m not saying anything McCain did was the cause of him losing, he lost simply because he didn’t hit a homerun when he desperately needed it. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/339 "2008-09-27T02:52:21Z")
I agree-every single thing Obama said on Afghanistan and Pakistan I agreed with. Vehemently. He’s got Pakistan’s number and I am deeply disappointed that McCain didn’t agree with what he said about said country (and on top of that, acting like Musharaff saved a “failed” state). But Obama is unwilling to go after McCain in a way that McCain is willing to go after Obama and it’s not going to do Obama any favours. McCain looks like a bulldog. Obama looks cerebral. I’m an Independent who likes cerebral candidates-but McCain did not look stupid by any stretch of the imagination. Former cross-ex debater speaking (one who went to TOC)-I think McCain’s good about sticking to the point, sticking in a dig and making Obama waste time agree with him and explain away the digs. He is a very disciplined and pointed debater. I expect Obama will be feistier in the next debate. This is the first time the Republicans have managed said feat in 8 years. Well done. At least the top of the ticket isn’t as embarassing as it has been for most of the present decade. I felt it was about a draw. I liked Obama’s outline for Pakistan policy. I think the average voter will be more drawn to McCain’s style of debate. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357/340 "2008-09-27T02:52:42Z")
> [@Linear\_Crack](#): > > Without a doubt-- first debate scorecard: > > McCain: Won > Nobama: Zero Anyone who says “Nobama” is a zero. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/september-26-the-first-obama-mccain-debate/465357.md?page=18)