by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright September 27, 2008
All Rights Reserved.

           Coming out swinging, Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.) and GOP nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) took off the gloves, blooding each other in their first debate at the University of Mississippi.  Billed on foreign affairs, the first encounter started with questions about the White House’s proposed $700 billion Wall Street bailout.  President George W. Bush spoke to the nation Sept. 24, warning of “financial panic” and chaos should the Congress not act quickly on his plan.  Speaking the day before, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke also warned of recession should the bailout get stuck in neutral.  Neither Bush nor Bernanke offered much independent corroboration for their doom-and-gloom scenario.  McCain and Obama differed sharply over the path out of the current economic mess—McCain advocated more tax cuts while Obama urged ending the Iraq War.

            McCain was supposed to shine in a foreign policy and national security debate.  Yet when all was said and done, the 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois held his own, something unexpected.  McCain looked flustered at times responding to Obama’s unyeilding attacks on U.S. strategy in Iraq.  McCain tried his best but couldn’t convince too many people about his continued plans for Iraq.  Barack reminded the audience that the U.S. has been fighting the Iraq War for nearly seven years.  McCain blasted Barack for not accepting that the “surge” worked.  Barack acknowledged the drop in violence but pointed out that there’s no political solution in sight.  McCain hurt his own argument about progress in Iraq by stating that Gen. David Petraeus sees the gains as fragile and reversible.  McCain eventually resorted to pounding his chest about his good judgment and experience.

            Voters were left with the $64,000 question:  What to do on Nov. 4?  McCain painted a bleak picture of the U.S. at war, making more ominous comments about Russia and Iran.  For a nation weary of the Iraq war and battered by the economy, McCain offered little reassurance. Whether admitted to or not, Barack's change-theme resonated with voters, giving him the edge in the debate.  Two independent polls from CNN and CBS both gave Obama a clear edge, bad news for McCain when you consider foreign policy was his strength.  Voters face a decisive choice between Obama ending the Iraq War and McCain promising to keep it going until he’s ready to declare victory.  Judging by his comments about Gen. Petraeus calling the current situation “fragile and reversible,” the Iraq war has no end in sight.  Obama promised to end the war within 16 months of taking office.

            McCain blasted Barack’s spending plans which he said called for $800 billion in new programs.  Most of Barack’s spending involves financing national health care, a costly but needed expense.  Barack admitted that because of the current economic meltdown some of his programs might be delayed.  “No matter what, we’re going to have to cut spending.  We’ve let government get completely out of control,” McCain said, curiously omitting the bloated defense budget.  Under Bush, the defense budget skyrocketed, funding wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  McCain seemed content to finger earmarks, those costly statewide pet projects, promising to save taxpayers $18 billion.  Obama countered that McCain’s tax proposals would cost the treasury $300 billion, giving the wealthy all the breaks.   

            McCain appeared rattled explaining how he intended to slash spending without touching the defense budget.  With the recession hurting taxpayers, with unemployment rising, with average Americans looking for relief, expected cuts in social programs don’t look too good.  “We’ve got to examine every agency of government,” said McCain, blaming runaway spending non-defense programs. Standing side-by-side, the contrast to the crusty McCain could not have been more glaring.  Obama withstood McCain’s withering attack, at one point flatly proclaiming Barack lacked the experience and judgment to be president.  “There are some advantages to experience and knowledge and judgment,” said McCain.  “And I honestly don’t believe Sen. Obama has the knowledge or experience” to be commander-in-chief, attacking the cool-and-collected Obama at every opportunity.

            Obama stood toe-to-toe with McCain on national security and foreign policy..  When McCain resorted to name-calling, telling voters Barack was not qualified to be president, he hurt his cause.  Recent post-debate polls show Obama gaining a one percent bounce, signaling the most significant shift in voter sentiiment since voters found his performance acceptable.  Unlike Obama, McCain needed to assert himself as superior in foreign policy, making his opponent look amateurish.  When Barack rose to the occasion, it left little doubt that he was ready to be commander-in-chief.  McCain’s responses about Iran and Russia, hinting that a get-tough policy would prevail in his administration.  Too much attention to potential war-making and too little attention to domestic matters gives voters reason to pause. Barack showed grace-under-pressure while McCain looked mean and lashed out..

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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