by Stuart

Created on: October 10, 2008

If this debate was anything to go by, Obama is going to win by a landslide.

He was poised, dignified and humble, a stark contrast to McCain's flustered, defensive squirming.

McCain was pathetic to watch. Arrogant and sleazy, time and again jumping on whatever he could to make personal attacks on Obama. He continued to make the point about him serving his country in the military so much that it got to the point of being downright pathetic. He sucked up to the audience, and tried to turn the debate into a personal attack on Obama, doing very little to talk about his strategies.

McCain continued to defend his position on Iraq, and the arguments just sound old now. Nobody wants to hear it. Obama knew this, and responded with strong and decisive arguments against them. McCain's attempts to respond by attacking Obama's lack of military experience were also weak and undignified.

Several times Obama brought up obscure points about McCain which were perfect deflections of McCain's attempts at personal attacks. They were appropriate and impressive, knocking McCain back down when he attempted to turn the debate dirty.

There was little specific action promised by either candidate, but what Obama apparently lacked in knowledge, he did not try to bluff his way through, unlike McCain, who seemed content to rest on the laurels of his "experience" in his attempt to gain the audience's trust. It's safe to say that this was not in the least bit effective. The last question, "What don't you know and how will you learn it?" was full of promise, but neither candidate gave a satisfactory answer. However, it was McCain who made himself look worse by promptly reverting to "BS-Mode", ending the debate with a sad theatrical display of pseudo-patriotism.

McCain's composure was old fashioned and hypocritical, and has no place in today's world. He continued to give off the impression that he feels he deserves to be president. It was uncomfortable to watch him. Certainly it made me wonder if old age really does bring wisdom, or whether it just breeds arrogance, hypocrisy and bigotry.

In contrast, Obama's youth shone. It was in no way a disadvantage, especially thanks to the way he carried himself. Obama gave off an aura that you just had to respect, an aura of trust, control, and authority. He was strong and fresh, refusing to rise to pathetic personal attacks, maintaining his dignity and staying humble to the American public.

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