Presidential Debate Live Blog

So I'm gonna try this...even though I'm late starting.

9:58- the discussion is on health care, and both Obama and McCain talk all around the issue. What kills me is how McCain is trying to ham it up for the crowd. Then he goes back to American Exceptionalism, and talking about how great America is.

10:00- Foreign Policy- What I disagree most about it is the belief that the only sacrifice Americans ever make is sending soldiers to die. That only those who die in wars are American heroes. Bullshit. I get tired of the bloody flag.

10:06- I like the idea of moral responsiblity that Obama is talking about. I think that is the ignored part of leftist thinking. That America can act out of its moral responsiblity rather than purely national security concerns. Oh- and I'm really sick of McCain calling me his friend, my friends. The idea that national security is the only role of the US government is fundamentally flawed. As it says in the preamble to the Constitution, the government is responsible for: establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty. That would mean that national security is only 20% of what the government should be concerned with. But McCain wants to freeze spending on everything but the military. (shakes head)

10:18- McCain keeps attacking Obama without actually answering any question. Good Times! I love it when politicians in the middle of a crisis refuse to address the issues and instead revert to character assassination and drum old drumbeats of partisan divide.
Obama seems less confident when dealing with Russia and our relationship with Putin. However, that's what Biden is for, I guess. Obama still demonstrates a command of the larger picture, much more so than does McCain. I think that is important.

10:25- Israel. Why is this being discussed? I know Israel is our ally and all, but still.

Regardless, McCain talks about how Iran acquiring nuclear weapons would lead to every country wanting them. Duh! Israel ALREADY has nukes, which would seem to me to be why (at least partly) Iran wants them. Pakistan got nukes because India had them. The USSR got nukes because we had them. Makes perfect sense to me. I don't like the framing of this question.

10:31- Final "Zen" question. Obama nailed the beginning (the toughest challenges are those you don't expect), then fell right back into his backstory. I don't need that at this juncture of the campaign.

McCain blew me away by telling me that we don't know what the future holds, and that he specifically doesn't know the future. He ran his own backstory. Awesome!

How in the world does McCain hope to pass himself off as the "steady hand on the till"? All of his actions on this campaign seems to me to be anything but steady.