"No Clear Winner?"

As far debates go, I'd call this one a tie. But that's just my opinion. Most of the talking heads and other prominent media outlets are flooding the airwaves and print media with their "take" on who was the stronger debater and thus the winner of round one of the remaining planned presidential debates. I am taking a "wait and see" approach, believing and expecting that one of the candidates will by design or accident either make a stand alone cogent point that the other cannot refute, or one of the candidates will spew forth a gaff that he cannot overcome. Friday evening's debate was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You know it's coming, but it's taking forever to get to the point of impact.

Senator Obama certainly does not lack stage presence. His easy charisma certainly was evident as he smoothly and casually presented his own points of emphasis or refuted his opponent's. Senator McCain countenance was stiffer, more deliberate. But what he lacked in style he made up in substance, repeatedly re-directing the selected topics away from Obama's attempt to paint McCain into the same corner of President Bush's "failed policies" and to the point of who possesses the stronger record of leadership. Senator Obama repeatedly addressed Senator McCain as "John," attempting, I suppose, to illustrate that he is an equal to McCain, and thus has a right to be regarded as such. Senator McCain, in contrast, always addressed Obama as "Senator,"pointedly denying Obama that more elevated level of familiarity. There was present throughout the debate evidence of McCain's disdain and impatience with Obama, as he repeatedly stated that Senator Obama "just doesn't understand" the intricacies of how the world works by liberally sprinkling into his responses the many names of the foreign leaders Senator McCain knows and has personally negotiated with over his many years in the Senate.

In a nutshell Friday evening's first debate only served to solidify each of the candidate's heretofore staked out campaign strategies; Obama campaigning on changing radically the failures of the last eight year's of the current administration, and McCain campaigning to induce change in Washington based on personal experience as a recognized "maverick" whose record of experience "in" Washington would more effectively bring about the needed change.

Prior to my wife driffing off to sleep beside me on the couch, she said, "I've heard this all before." She is right. Nothing we heard in this first debate broke new territory. Each candidate put forth their anticiapted governing style, but neither spent any dedicated time in outlining what each specifically would do if given the elected opportuntiy to govern. In these perilous times that confront our nation both domestically and on foreigh soil, perhaps this is the best we can hope for...for the time being.