Weekend Report, Sept. 27-28, 2008

transcript

Politico/BudoffBrown, Harris:
McCain goes on offense; Obama plays it cool

There was no mistaking what John McCain was trying to accomplish in the season’s first presidential debate. His point was that Barack Obama “doesn’t understand” the world. He said so seven times, along with one “naive” and another “naivete” thrown in for measure.

McCain’s jackhammer repetition of his main points — he was right about the troop “surge” in Iraq and Obama was wrong, he is an inveterate foe of pork spending and Obama is not — was not always a subtle performance, especially when the points were invoked in ways only tangentially connected to the questions.

But the 90-minute session put on vivid display the side of McCain that his strategists believe is his best hope: an emphatic, impassioned, even indignant leader with a more seasoned and more visceral understanding of a cynical capital and a violent planet.

Obama’s Ole Miss strategy seemed more complex. He tied McCain to the unpopular policies of President Bush, as he always does. But even these shots were delivered with a cool and dispassionate style, hoping to impress viewers with precision, fluency and logic. That’s the way debates are won in academic halls, though not always on television sets...

Politico/Roger Simon:
The Mac is back

John McCain was very lucky that he decided to show up for the first presidential debate in Oxford, Miss., Friday night. Because he gave one of his strongest debate performances ever.

While Barack Obama repeatedly tried to link McCain to the very unpopular George W. Bush, Bush’s name will not be on the ballot in November and McCain’s will.

And McCain not only found a central theme but hit on it repeatedly. Obama is inexperienced, naive, and just doesn’t understand things, McCain said.

Sure, McCain is a pretty old guy for a presidential candidate, but he showed the old guy did not mind mixing it up. He stood behind a lectern for 90 minutes without a break — you try that when you are 72 — and he not only gave as good as he got, he seemed to relish it more.

At least twice after sharp attacks by McCain, Obama seemed to look to moderator Jim Lehrer for help, saying to Lehrer, “Let’s move on.” ...

NationalReviewOnline/Nordlinger:
Quick Points on Debate I

Frankly, they disagreed on relatively little. They disagreed in marginal ways, actually. America probably got the impression that these are two capable candidates who would govern reasonably....

Interesting that Obama repeatedly referred to his opponent as “John.” I don’t believe McCain ever said “Barack.”...

Bloomberg/Jensen, Fireman:
Obama blames crisis on Republicans; McCain calls Obama unready

The U.S. senators fell back on themes they've used throughout their historic campaigns, likely scoring points with some voters while failing to break much new ground...

BostonGlobe/Canellos:
Good night for McCain, better one for Obama

In an encounter that seems destined to be remembered more for its substance than any quips or gaffes, the two candidates defended their positions stoutly, outlined clear contrasts for the voters, and showed a command of the issues that was greater than in most past presidential debates...

BostonGlobe/Hellman, Milligan:
McCain, Obama clash sharply

Republican calls his rival 'naive'; Democrat links opponent to Bush...

Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, meeting on a debate stage for the first time last night, clashed over the root causes of the crisis gripping the nation's financial system, with McCain blaming greed and incompetent government oversight and Obama trying to pin the meltdown on a laissez-faire approach to the private sector that McCain has long championed...

KansasCityStar:
McCain wins first debate

John McCain exceeded my expectations and narrowly did better than Barack Obama in the first presidential debate Friday night.

McCain was more precise in many of his answers.

He was not deferential to Obama, who made the mistake of saying too many times "Sen. McCain is right" about several issues...

FOX News:
Candidates accuse each other of recklessness on economy, military

John McCain explicitly portrayed Barack Obama as “dangerous” and “naive” on the world stage Friday, in a tense and wide-ranging debate that focused as much on the economy as it did on foreign policy.

Obama, meanwhile, repeatedly accused his rival of being President Bush’s protege, dismissing him as out-of-touch with the working class and simply mistaken on the Iraq war.

Both candidates used their first presidential debate, held at the University of Mississippi, to cast each other as reckless and unsteady at a critical time in American history...

AP:

Quotes from presidential debate

Reuters:

Foreign policy quotes from the debate...

TIME's Mark Halperin:
Grading the first presidential debate

McCain was McCain — evocative, intense, and at times emotional, but also vague, elliptical, and atonal. Failed to deliver his "country first versus Obama first" message cleanly, even when offered several opportunities. Surprisingly, did not talk much about "change," virtually ceding the dominant issue of the race.

     Overall grade: B-

Obama went for a solid, consistent performance to introduce himself to the country. He did not seem nervous, tentative, or intimidated by the event, and avoided mistakes from his weak debate performances during nomination season (a professorial tone and long winded answers). Standing comfortably on the stage with his rival, he showed he belonged — evocative of Reagan, circa 1980. He was so confident by the end that he reminded his biggest audience yet that his father was from Kenya. Two more performances like that and he will be very tough to beat on Election Day.

     Overall grade: A-

WashingtonPost's Robert Kaiser:

My first impression: Neither man committed a terrible goof. I learned in the last couple of weeks while working on an article about debate preparation (link below) that this was their single biggest concern. Defense is the name of the game.

To my eye, McCain was not at his best tonight. Comparing this debate to the two candidates' appearance in August with Rick Warren at his Saddleback Church is interesting. I thought McCain on that occasion was warm, funny, confident, loose. By comparison, he seemed a little tight to me tonight.

Obama I think was closer to the top of his game. He dispelled the idea that he couldn't keep up with McCain on foreign policy issues. Earlier this year some Republicans said they thought McCain would clobber the Democrat in this debate; it didn't happen.

AP's Juliana Barbassa:

Cheers, jeers - but how many minds changed?

McCain, Obama, Bill Clinton to make the
Sunday AM Talk Show rounds

Sen. John McCain appears on “This Week” for what ABC is billing as his first post-debate interview.

Looking for some post-debate momentum as well, Sen. Barack Obama sits for the full 30 minutes on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Tom Brokaw visits with former President Bill Clinton about all things political.

Ted Kennedy taken to hospital