what do you think about the debate?

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-15-2008
what do you think about the debate?
163
Fri, 09-26-2008 - 11:11pm
what do you think about tonight's debate?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-09-2007
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 2:30am
I feel the same. "Victory" - what does that even mean? Has anyone heard him define "victory in Iraq"?
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2008
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 3:37am

I saw John McCain lose his cool and snort, stiffen his body, and never look at Barack. And the two of them work together in the senate, and that's the best that McCain could do? lol. John's a terrible debater. Can you imagine him treating Putin or Chavez that way? What leader, even if they don't agree with our policies, would put up with that? The US would never have any allies but millions of enemies. Cowboy diplomacy from Bush43 will have warships camped off the shores of Venzuela!

One of the cable network analysts said that when Barack agreed with McCain, it showed that Barack would be able to disagree but still be able to find common ground. Yet another strength that strong diplomats should have. Barack also got to call McCain on his lies in person. Good for him. Why is McCain supposed to be the foreign policy expert (Mr. Wrong about the war)? Well, Barack stood his ground and showed a command of the issues without gaffes. McCain was wrong about who the Pakistan pres is. Ooops. lol.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-16-2005
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 5:38am

IMO, I thought both men showed strengths and weaknesses.


iVillage Member
Registered: 09-07-2008
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 5:42am

the first response by factcheck.org:


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FactChecking Debate No. 1


September 27, 2008

Facts muddled in Mississippi McCain-Obama meeting.

Summary

McCain and Obama contradicted each other repeatedly during their first debate, and each volunteered some factual misstatements as well. Here’s how we sort them out:


  • Obama said McCain adviser Henry Kissinger backs talks with Iran “without preconditions,” but McCain disputed that. In fact, Kissinger did recently call for “high level” talks with Iran starting at the secretary of state level and said, “I do not believe that we can make conditions.” After the debate the McCain campaign issued a statement quoting Kissinger as saying he didn’t favor presidential talks with Iran.


  • Obama denied voting for a bill that called for increased taxes on “people” making as little as $42,000 a year, as McCain accused him of doing. McCain was right, though only for single taxpayers. A married couple would have had to make $83,000 to be affected by the vote, and anyway no such increase is in Obama’s tax plan.


  • McCain and Obama contradicted each other on what Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen said about troop withdrawals. Mullen said a time line for withdrawal could be “very dangerous” but was not talking specifically about “Obama’s plan,” as McCain maintained.


  • McCain tripped up on one of his signature issues – special appropriation “earmarks.” He said they had “tripled in the last five years,” when in fact they have decreased sharply.


  • Obama claimed Iraq “has” a $79 billion surplus. It once was projected to be as high as that. It’s now down to less than $60 billion.


  • McCain repeated his overstated claim that the U.S. pays $700 billion a year for oil to hostile nations. Imports are running at about $536 billion this year, and a third of it comes from Canada, Mexico and the U.K.


  • Obama said 95 percent of “the American people” would see a tax cut under his proposal. The actual figure is 81 percent of households.


  • Obama mischaracterized an aspect of McCain’s health care plan, saying “employers” would be taxed on the value of health benefits provided to workers. Employers wouldn’t, but the workers would. McCain also would grant workers up to a $5,000 tax credit per family to cover health insurance.


  • McCain misrepresented Obama's plan by claiming he'd be "handing the health care system over to the federal government." Obama would expand some government programs but would allow people to keep their current plans or chose from private ones, as well.


  • McCain claimed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had drafted a letter of resignation from the Army to be sent in case the 1944 D-Day landing at Normandy turned out to be a failure. Ike prepared a letter taking responsibility, but he didn’t mention resigning.
For full details, as well as other dubious claims and statements, please read our full Analysis section.

Note: This is a summary only. The full article with analysis, images and citations may be viewed on our Web site:

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2003
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 8:22am

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that's so funny: most of the wonks LOVED Jim Lehrer. i guess it depends on what you want. he put out the questions, made sure no one ran overtime and no one was bloody, but he let them duke it out.

although it was an "interesting exchange," i'm not sure i learned anything new either. except McCain has known Kissinger for twenty-something years.

Bea




Edited 9/27/2008 8:41 am ET by queenbea4
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2003
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 8:33am

McCain did make this point with me: his nebulous definition of "victory" is "stabilization." that we failed to stabilize Afghanistan after the Russian occupation and thus the fanatics took over. and that he does not want to see that happen again in Iraq.

most likely, that point made sense to me because it is overly simplistic. yes, stabilization seems like a "good" concept - sounds like self-government. but have we ever achieved that before? are there examples of the US taking military action in a country, then assisting them to be self-governing and then getting the heck out?

Bea

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 8:50am
very poor moderation indeed

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2003
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 8:56am

for both halsgal and sandy - what was your observation that leads you to consider the moderation "poor"?

Bea

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-12-2004
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 9:04am

You've hit an important nail on the head.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sat, 09-27-2008 - 9:24am
the fact that he allowed so much interrupting of each other is main thing

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