Presidential debates: round one

What the papers said about the first contest between McCain and Obama

I came across this summary in the Observer.

The New York Times
Verdict: Obama win

Mr McCain fumbled his way through the economic portion of the debate, while
Mr Obama seemed clear and confident. Mr McCain was more fluent on foreign affairs, and scored points by repeatedly calling Mr Obama naive and inexperienced. Mr McCain’s talk of experience too often made him sound like a tinny echo of the 20th century ... If he was reaching for Reagan’s affable style, he missed by a mile, clenching his teeth and sounding crotchety where Reagan was sunny and avuncular.

The Washington Post
Verdict: draw

The biggest [difference] between the two candidates may boil down to one ... that the campaign has showcased, which is their differing leadership styles. Mr Obama has been deliberative on foreign policy, sometimes to the point of looking indecisive: he has some 300 advisers. Mr McCain takes counsel from a far smaller circle, and sometimes seems to leap to bold conclusions ... Which would respond better to a crisis? That may be the most important question that voters have to weigh.

Wall Street Journal
Verdict: draw

Neither candidate broke from talking points, neither one made a gaffe, and both men won on the grounds where they are most comfortable - John McCain on foreign policy, and Barack Obama on domestic issues ... What neither man showed was any real insight about our financial market issues, or any political courage in offering a solution. Perhaps this is rooted in the traditional calculation not to make a mistake in a close race. But if Americans were looking for guidance on how we got here and where to go from here, they didn’t find it last night.

Los Angeles Times
Verdict: draw

In a debate that both candidates could ill-afford to lose Friday night, neither did. John McCain proved he was resolute and tough; Barack Obama demonstrated that he was smart and polished ... For all the talk of race and gender in this year’s historic campaign, Friday’s much-anticipated contest was more vividly a contest of generations. It was a debate, mostly civil though occasionally cranky, between a tough old man and a polished young one ... The debate did not saddle either candidate with a gaffe, much less eliminate one.

Chicago Sun-Times
Verdict: draw

McCain wears a bracelet with the name of a soldier, Matthew Stanley, 22, who was killed in Iraq. That bracelet, he said, reminds him constantly why the United States cannot afford to lose in Iraq. But Obama, who favours a steady withdrawal, countered that he wears a bracelet with a soldier’s name, too. It was given to him, he said, by the soldier’s mother, who asked him: ‘Can you please make sure another mother is not going through what I’m going through?’ Two bracelets. Two worldviews. Which bracelet wins?

I have also included a link to a youtube clip which provides the highlights of debates from previous election cycles: a handy teaching aid for this part of the American course