Day after the Debate

Debate observations:

-I thought Obama came off as rude throughout the evening. On many occasions he tried to interrupt McCain or inserted some comment like "it's not true" while McCain was speaking. I also found it incredibly rude when he said "Are you done?" while McCain was trying to make his point.

-I didn't think either candidate made a real solid point on economics. McCain presented the conservative view that gov't regulation only creates more problems down the line, while Obama was only to eager to trumpet gov't involvement in the financial market. I thought the key point came when Obama could not come up with a single program that he would consider cutting despite the $700 billion bailout. After being asked several time, he kept only talking about the need for fluff programs.

-I thought McCain made two solid points on foreign policy, one involving sitting down with Ahmadinwackjob and the other about Obama insisting the surge didn't work. I though it was a great exchange when McCain asked Obama what he would talk about with Ahmadinajad. Obama's attempt to use Kissinger's statements against McCain also reeked of desperation and lack of knowledge/understanding.

-Throughout the debate it seemed rather obvious that Obama was doing his best George W Bush impression in trying to avoid any specific mention of foreign leader names, countries, or important events. He seemed like a person who is clueless yet tries to project an image of a knowledgeable person. In contrast McCain was able to draw a connection between 25 years of successful engagement in foreign policy and his bid for the presidency.

On a Separate note: My commentary on the bailout didn't mention that help to irresponsible borrowers was part of the $700B package. My point centered on the politicking by the Democrats who are holding the nation's economy hostage by demanding concessions to help such individuals as part of any bailout programs. I honestly don't know what the right course of action is at this point, but focusing on helping the thousands of people who took out loans far exceeding their payment abilities is wrong. I think the whole experience just shows the issues that arise out of government regulation of financial markets. The prospect of the gov't safetynet is what promoted a lot of this irresponsible behavior. Now we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and no option is particularly attractive.