Thoughts On the Debate

-So, this Joe the Plumber guy, as often as he was mentioned I assume he's in the running to be Secretary of Labor . . . or at least official White House plumber

-I thought Obama did a good job putting the Ayers thing to bed, very clear answer to the issue. I also thought McCain's statements about it were a bit ridiculous. It seemed like he was saying, "I don't think it's particularly important, but let's talk about it anyway." It would have been nice if Obama'd stuck up for ACORN, though.

-I wonder if Obama will be hurt by his laughing while McCain was making some charges against him. It could be seen as dismissive.

-I'm not sure if I believe that it was an accident that McCain called Obama "Senator Government" or not. If it wasn't, then kudos, 'cause it was a clever little dig. If it was an accident, McCain should look at it as a happy accident and use it again.

-Obama gave McCain a little too much credit, lauding him for his stance on torture. Sure, McCain started out very good on the issue, but lately he's caved far too much on it and Obama should have called him out on that.

-I think Obama won the perception contest. He came off as calm and confident. McCain seemed to be less so, grasping for any opening he could get. However, since this lines up neatly with what I wanted to see, my evaluation should likely be taken with a grain of salt.

-I don't think I heard McCain say Maverick once. My most sincere gratitude to the senator.