“A national poll of people who watched the first presidential debate suggests that Barack Obama came out on top.

Fifty-one percent of those polled in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey of Americans who viewed the debate say that Obama won. Thirty-eight percent of those polled say that John McCain did the best job.” — CNN Political Ticker

The focus of last night’s debate was foreign policy and national security, this was supposed to be John McCain’s forte and he was expected to perform better than his much less experienced rival.

But Obama had a confident and relaxed demeanor, and he handled all the questions with the ease of a college professor answering his students’ questions.

Obama didn’t make any gaffe, he looked like a young statesman who is eager and ready to assume the role of commander-in-chief.

McCain, on the other hand, appeared uncomfortable, and he fumbled the names of a couple of international leaders. He repeated a few of the one-liners that he has used throughout his campaign, and they didn’t elicit even the faintest laughter.

McCain looked like an old warrior who is too stubborn and too set in his ways to acknowledge the Young Turk with the right stuff.

McCain never once looked in the direction of Obama; why does he have such undisguised contempt for his adversary? I’m sure there are many who will come to the conclusion that it’s nothing short of racism.

Before the debate McCain was behind in most polls, he desperately needed to win the debate, and he fell far short of his goal.

The McCain camp couldn’t find any Obama blunders, their post-debate spin was to harp on how many times Obama said: McCain is right. Is that the best they can come up with? That only illustrates that Obama is a scholar and a gentleman.

McCain fumbled away his chance to make up ground, and if his pathetic running mate, Sarah Palin stumbles badly in the next debate, you can write them off.

References:

Obama/McCain very similar to Kennedy/Nixon in 1960

ANALYSIS: Round 1 — Obama more than holds his own against a ‘Mean’ McCain