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Here is the entire, unedited video of the John McCain / Barack Obama Presidential debate from the University of Mississippi which aired on Friday, September 26th, 2008. It is about 90 minutes long. The initial topic was supposed to be foreign policy, however, this week’s events transpired to create a good 45 minutes of talk on the economy prior to international issues.
Watch the entire debate video via MSNBC:
Update
Here’s the entire 90 minute debate from YouTube if the above MSNBC video isn’t working for you:
Sound off below, what did you think of the very first Obama/McCain Presidential debate?
(172 votes, average: 4.49 out of 5)
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Hello YouDecide2008,
Why is it impossible to watch the Mississippi debate on your website? It is impossible to get beyond the screen asking for an Adobe download. I downloaded the Adobe update but the screen still does not show the debate. I was counting on you, and now I have no way to watch the debate. Can you fix this please. Until this evening I have been very impressed with your website.
Thank you.
Richard B. Grose, Ph.D.
Thanks for the video!! It’s much appreciated by those of us overseas and too sleepy to wake up ta 4am (Tel Aviv time) to watch!
I find the debating psychology of both nominees fascinating. Senator McCain intentionally not using eye contact with Senator Obama. Senator Obama referring to Senator McCain by his first name. Both candidates attempting to gain an edge more by what they are not saying than what they are saying.
Richard,
The video is working but it sounds like you might have to re-install Adobe and restart the web browser.
I’ll have a YouTube version of the debate up soon, that might work for you if this MSNBC video doesn’t.
Thanks for getting this up so fast :). I find it pretty funny that Obama got John’s name wrong several times.
Obama just breezed though this debate - McCain leaves so many points unanswered, avoiding them in favor of fluffy responses that don’t say anything. I just hope voters are smart enough to see beyond it.
Hello Richard -
Maybe you are using Firefox? If so, try using Internet Explorer instead. Hope that helps!
What’s going on between minute 17:15 and 17:30? There’s a cut there…right when Mccain began to heat up. Was it like that live too?
-B.
Clearly, debates will show the differences in the two candidates ideas on how to approach the difficult situations that we are facing as a nation. Based on tonights debate, It appears that if Obama were elected, our economy will go into a depression, and the United States would be over-run by our ememies within his first term. I pray That our nation is wise enough to elect our only choice for real leadership, John McCain.
I thought the screen was a little small.
You can watch the original video below, thanks to MSNBC.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/.....9#26909249
We can look at how many times someone says “uh”, what they call their opponent, or how their body language is, but what really matters are their points. I really hope these little distractions are not taking too much from the attention of the viewers and that everyone is, more importantly, paying attention to the information each candidate has to offer.
McCain comes off as mean and small, he never even looked at Obama. We need a leader that is level headed and thoughtful. McCain had no answers, he talked in circles and sometimes made no sense. Often he just retold old stories we have all already heard. We get it, you have been around a long time and have a lot of stories to tell. We need a leader who thinks about the world as a whole and looks beyond constant conflict. McCain can only see enemies, he is haunted by his own experience. We need a new perspective. McCain is dangerous.
Also, Obama was right, Kissinger backs direct talks with Iran ‘WITHOUT CONDITIONS’.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/ 2008/09/kissinger-backs.html
Although I’m sure Kissinger will play semantics tomorrow.
I will have to give McCain credit for not going after Obama’s non exesting past more. After herating the debate it is obvious that Obama has no military experience and very little political experience. I have yet to figure out hoe Obama after 2 years in Washington was able to raise the political knowledge to run for president. I also think that it is funny how Obama atacks lobbyist and big business when they are the ones paying his bills.
McCain just doesn’t get that making “doesn’t get it” offensive
statement makes it difficult for American people to understand
what he is getting at with major issues.
Charles,
“I also think that it is funny how Obama attacks lobbyist and big business when they are the ones paying his bills”
Have you honestly and objectively looked into a large portion of McCain’s Advisers and his own contributors? I think you would find that McCain is Ten times deeper in the pockets of those directly or indirectly involved in the mess we are currently in.
I would also Highly Disagree with your point of Obama not having the political knowledge to run for president. He stood on that stage tonight technically in McCain’s back yard of a foreign policy debate and according the vast majority of polling etc. WON
McCain came off as a condescending person and some one that would fly off the deep end with out any true thought of the consequences. McCain couldn’t even look his opponent in the eye. “McCain called for a freeze on all U.S. government spending, except for defense, veterans programs and certain guaranteed benefits such as Medicare. Obama said such a move would be like using a hatchet on an ailing patient, the stumbling American economy, when the surgeon needed to be using a scalpelâ€
Source http://www.iht.com/articl.....ctions.php
And lastly, As a Vet who wore the uniform of the US Army for 5 years. And to for my wife who is in the Navy who will be deploying on Nov 21 to Iraq. My Brother who was called in from the IRR after his years in the army to get dragged back to Iraq for a year. I currently live on a Marine Corps base. I am the IT for the base keeping these soldiers’ online and in communication with their families back home. To suggest that because Obama never wore this countries uniform there fore he has no qualifications is naive
All the Facts prove McCain’s has voted AGAINST many crucial issues for Vet’s, including the recent GI Bill that was crucially needed.
Thanks for reading the long post ïŠ
Of course no third party candidates are represented. That would be too fair!
Richard,
The site works fine, youdecide2008.com has done a fine job hosting the video quickly. For a guy who flaunts his Ph.D. I am surprised you did not read any of the comments from others and realize that it can’t be youdecide2008’s fault. Please make sure that you invest time in realizing the situation before coming to rash decisions when you go to vote. We are all counting on you!
S.
Good grief people, forget politics, you better freakin appreciate the fact that you can walk to McDonalds without missles flyin over your heads. You all have an easy life. Trust me, I fight to protect it and am willing to give my life for it, because this is the only place on Earth where you dont have to worry about food, clothing, or property. You better make damn well sure your vote is unbiased. Obama is very good on camera all flashy and everything, but McCain has been there and done that and has the values of the people who first established this country. I would give my life for McCain or Obama, and be happy giving it to both as the President, but I would much rather give it to McCain.
Bob Barr made a good point. The debate wasn’t about bigger government and smaller government. But about Big Government and Bigger government! Which means in that respect either way you go you get screwed just one guy actually goes balls deep.
Was there anyone upset with the idea of us sending a billion dollars to Georgia?
Hey Nate can you post the poll results from each network? Fox,Cnn,Msnbc,abc, cbs,etc.
I would like people to discuss the results of the polls and why they came out the way that they did.
I love how people can state ridiculously stupid and unreasonable things such as David Schenck just did…”if Obama were elected, our economy will go into a depression” with no reasoning. McCain knows nothing about what will benefit the Americans in the lower 98 income percentile, and his 7 houses costing over $100k each, while saying that other people can’t accomplish it because they aren’t working two jobs reflects that. I hope people stop quoting lies they heard on Faux News, and start taking a look at the realities in the debates themselves like this, where one candidate (McCain) can consistantly lie and saunter around an issue, while the other candidate (Obama) can not only lay out steps on how he would solve the issue as president, but proves he has a greater understanding of how national, foreign, and global institutions/companies/forces work. If the American people can’t see past that then they don’t deserve a great president like Obama would be. Nation over party, please.
People say McCain has the temper.Obama looks more flared to me.Obama should have more respect for people and quit cutting them off. Kinda childish if you ask me.
Actually, Obama did not get McCain’s name wrong. He was addressing the moderator, whose name is Jim Lehrer.
Thanks for putting this on web for those who are residing overseas (Istanbul, Turkey)
I’m Irish, and I have been following this presidential race with excitement. I think Obama shone in last night’s debate. He was confident, clear in policies and actions that need to be taken for the future of America both nationally and internationally.
America, and the world, needs a leader that can inspire and use their influence for greatness. Obama for president!
Is there a way to download this video??? Please… thank you!
I agree with Dreadsen–I was a little disturbed by the fact that we sent a billion dollars to Georgia; a nation who last year spent 70% of its budget on military. Does it happen to be a coincidence that there is an oil pipeline in Georgia that we have interest in? That billion dollars could have been used in so many other beneficial ways here, domestically. Voting in this election is going to be a choice between the lesser of two evils! I can’t believe that both candidates almost completely support the corporate bailout package that screws every honest taxpayer in this country! Let’s print hundreds of billions of dollars and flood the market with money and easy credit–that will surely solve the problems that were started by giving easy credit and flooding the market with money…
Obama nailed McCain several times pretty good.
After tonight’s debate I’m tempted to vote for McCain just to see how bad things could really get for “main street” America. Would “we the people” finally have the courage, as Thomas Jefferson recommended, to rise up against our corrupt governing body and re-establish a democratic government truly by and for the people rather than for the greedy? I believe that the time for revolution would come much faster under the leadership of McCain, than Obama.
Overall, it helped me gain more insight into the candidates. I’m left with more questions as this forum does not lend itself to much detail. That being said, I found that Obama provided more detail to his economic and military plans than McCain. I think Obama also put more thought into his replies than did McCain (my opinion).
If this were my only exposure to the candidates, and I had to vote based on this debate today, I would vote for Obama.
And like a previous poster mentioned, it would be nice to have debates with more than just the Republican and Democratic candidates.
How convenient that the current administration has fabricated such a tangled web of ‘occupation’ and economic turmoil that -no matter who the next president is- will only go on to perpetuate and spoil in the eyes of the world. Because of IRAQ alone - the US is doomed to maybe never fully recover from a catastrophic failure in judgment.
McCain comes off as mean and small, he never even looked at Obama. We need a leader that is level headed and thoughtful. From Chuck: “McCain had no answers, he talked in circles and sometimes made no sense. Often he just retold old stories we have all already heard. We get it, you have been around a long time and have a lot of stories to tell. We need a leader who thinks about the world as a whole and looks beyond constant conflict. McCain can only see enemies, he is haunted by his own experience. We need a new perspective. McCain is dangerous.”
i dont think you know what you are saying. you are talking about McCain but is describing Obama. No matter he looks at Obama should not be an issue. If you can even be objective about this issue and bring this as a point in your arguement, i think u are the one with clouded judgement here.
Sen Mccanin in this debate can be seen that he has been using alot of negative ads on Sen. Obama. Though I am a supporter of The Republicans, I cannot imagine having Sen Mccain as the next president for my country. The plans that has been laid out for Sen Mccain will only make companies that are already rich, richer. As a citizen of this country, how disappointing can that be? The best part would be, the jobs created will be given to other people in this world. E.g. China, India.
I am very disappointed by the fact that he would “betray” us in that sense. On the other hand, though I am not a supporter for democrats, but the plans laid out by Sen Obama, matches what we want as citizens and these are echoed by my friends, colleagues and even family members. One thing for sure is that Sen Obama may not be a Republican, but the ideas proposed make sense and can you imagine a leader that leads and listen our voices.
Sen Mccain, can be seen in this debate through his body language that he is afraid to look at Sen Obama. What a shame….
I’m not sure which disturbs me more: that he said it, or that I’m the only one on the face of the Earth that seems to have caught it. Either I’m just that much more astute than the mainstream media, or something very wrong is happening here. Why am I the only one disturbed by the following statement? “We’re borrowing money from overseas to fund the basic processes of government.†According to Senator Obama, the government is hours away from total collapse. There is no money to fund it, at least not in the US, and apparently, the US Government is unable to borrow money from anywhere. We have the same credit rating on the global market as an impoverished country like Somalia.
It appears we are in serious debt. What have they done?
Read more at http://www.RFDAmerica.com/wordpress
Charles: ‘I will have to give McCain credit for not going after Obama’s non exesting past more. After herating the debate it is obvious that Obama has no military experience and very little political experience. I have yet to figure out hoe Obama after 2 years in Washington was able to raise the political knowledge to run for president. I also think that it is funny how Obama atacks lobbyist and big business when they are the ones paying his bills.’
Everyone has a past and most people are private about it. Obama’s personal details are utterly inconsequential. He is a righteous American citizen who loves and appreciates his country ardently and that is what matters to those who do not have prejudices. Furthermore, I strongly believe that by electing Obama, Americans can shake the embarrassing perception that foreigners have of them.
Military experience is not an essential requirement for the role of president. Presidents do not fight wars, they declare them from the comfort of their offices. Obama may have never fought a war but he has a glittering educational history which, you can be assured, means he has more than enough military and political knowledge. A very stern teacher of mine once said that education is not learning what to think, it is learning how to think and the learned ability to think or comprehend is invaluable.
McCain, on the other hand, has little other than affluence, military experience and classic age-related rigidity. In a dire time like the present, when change is critically necessary for America, it would be extremely unwise to have a leader who is inflexible, who cannot bend to correctly meet the current needs of America and who may be resistant to change.
Lastly, the democrats have always been in favor of utilitarian economic policies which help the majority, not the elite and have always been concerned for the average American.
Why does Mccain keep saying Obama doesnt understand when a foreign issue is brought up? Mccain is trying to appear wise and all-knowing….its not working
I think these comments have been interesting so far. It’s interesting to see how polarized the views are. David and Charles, for example, have primarily voiced opinions based on weak assumptions and “prayers” (even with their poor grammatical skills). Whereas Bruce, for example, replied with a very good post that is a little more founded. Maybe this is playing on a stereotype, or maybe this is the reality of the situation in the US.
Why did Mccain state that more nuclear power would cause less oil imports? (not his statement but as close as I can remember what he ment) Nuclear power will not run my car, heat my home( i use propane), or burn in my oven (again I use propane). nulcear power creates enegry ie. electric. Oil does not provide electric in this country. So what was he talking about???
hello
i think Mccain doesn`t get it.his too focus on ennemies and his economy will let rich people become richer and poor people become poorer.by the way, Obama has all the points on this debate.he shows his influence.he`s very direct.and this is the man we need.please lets help raise our economy.
I think McCain needs a new word besides “fundamental”
Obama was the only one to interupt? Mccain came out of the gate interupting Lehrer. Trying to talk over Lehrer over and over. Mccain even laughed at Obama when Obama made a point Mccain could not counter and did not counter. He never mentioned many of Obama’s points that were true or even say Obama was right. However Obama was open to say Mccain was right about some of his points. Mccain just ignored the truths that Obama hit on. To me to say someone is right is a big thing and to ignore when the other hits the truth is is not. I say Obama was the bigger man to do so.
Mcain got caught lieng a few tymes… 30 Minuets in, he repeaded the cut spending 3 times. He is full of useless facts. There is one part about a man sending 2 different letters. Honestly, who cares about what the man said in his letters? He also tells the same stories over and over. I think i have heard the story of 3million dollars being spent on bear DNA about four or five times from him.
Mcain didnt talk to Obama when he shook hands, and he only glanced at Obama ONCE DURING THE ENTIRE 1 AND A HALF HOUR DEBATE! Macain only argued that Obama was wrong and never agreed anythign that Obama said. He also said Obama doesnt get it a few times… I think we get tit Mcain.
IM ONLY 14 AND I KNOW THIS MUCH ABOUT HOW WRONG MCAIN IS!!!
As I was reading through the comments I kept thinking basically what AA stated. I am curious as to how different these comments would be if opinion were replaced by thoughtful, unbiased decision making. It is easy to tell that supporters of Obama and McCain are both very supportive and emotionally charged about their views. And that’s good, to a point. Emotions usually lead to bad decision making though. I still don’t know who I am voting for in November, but it will be a decision made, as best I can, free of party ties of any bias. Hopefully everyone can let go of ties and opinions and make a careful, informed decision. If everyone in America did that, I 100% believe that whoever America elected would be the best option.
And in response to Lisa Piper. More Nuclear power would create more electricity, lots more if I had my way. This could then free up a a lot of Natural gas which. That natural gas could then be turned to the automotive industry to fuel cars. Natural gas is used to generate 22% of our nations electricity right now. If we could replace that with something else (nuclear/wind), then we could reduce the amount of money spent on foreign oil. We currently spend approximately $700 billion annually on foreign oil. That’s the same amount that everyone is making a fuss about with the bail out plan, but every year. If we can use all that natural gas that’s ging to energy for cars we could reduce that number to $300 billion annually. It’s still a lot, but it’s more than half as much. If you’d like to hear about it a little better go to http://www.pickensplan.com and watch the video on the main page. I thought it was very informative.
I believe Obama’s point on finishing one war before we start another was a good one. where will we get the troops for the adventures Mccain wants to have in other countries. We don’t have enough troops to fight the 2 wars we are in now.I believe that could have been Obama’s point. Does this mean that the draft will have to come back to create the troops we will need to fight more wars.
mccain got pwned.
Obama really has no clue.
1. Universal health care, look to the neighbors up north who have it. 40% of there income taxes are used for health care and Canada has a very small defense budget.
2. Our national defense supports most of the manufacturing in the states.
3. He needs to get with his current events. We can not send troops into Pakistan. That would be an act of war!
I would say McCain was shining tonight, smoking Obama on almost every point.. His experience came through loud and clear and he is the one I would want to trust our country to. If its not president McCain in Jan., it should be.
Obama finished the night with a statement worried about how other countries see us. It is really sad that he thinks we have to apologize for our greatness. If he can’t see that, I say it disqualifies him as being president.
‘Jim, let me just make a point. I’ve got a bracelet, too.’
Yeah everyone’s gotta have their bracelet. I really should have watched a show aimed at older audiences. Like, I don’t know, teletubbies.
McCain didnt wear a Flag pin! Ummmm
I think they both made good points and it was very informative on them. And to the comment about politics in the US, yes it is like this. You can pretty much say anthing on the televison and say it enough and it becomes fact. I think McCain would have been the perfect president for us instead of Bush, but that was 2000, this is now. Obama may have less expierence, but expierence isn’t everything. Sometimes that expierence actually keeps you in a rigid form of thought and discison making. We need an open president, open to new ideas and new ways of going about things. It’s the 21st Century, lets join it.
I would say McCain was shining tonight, smoking Obama on almost every point.. His experience came through loud and clear and he is the one I would want to trust our country to. If its not president McCain in Jan., it should be.
Obama finished the night with a statement worried about how other countries see us. It is really sad that he thinks we have to apologize for our greatness. If he can’t see that, I say it disqualifies him as being president.
Wayne Dawes…
It’s not that Obama is worried about what other countries think about us, its a given fact today. We used to be thought of as a great country to all, however, the last 8 years has diminished our reputation around the world. He see’s it, that is what concern’s him; it’s not an apology. I love this country and think it is great. But I do know that most of the world has a low opinion of the US.
This was a good debate in seeing both candidates on the stage together. Now, in my opinion if someone cannot look you in the eye and discuss a subject there should be concern, they are hiding something and are deceiptful. One major thing that really turned my mind away for McCain is his comments of “Horseshit” (said twice) during Obama’s turn to talk. Do you really want someone leading our country that makes comments about other’s opinions using such language? His consistent interuption was unacceptable to me, another factor that turned me away from him. Before now, I was not sure, I was opened to both candidates. Not now. I cannot waste my vote on someone that reminded me so much of President Bush’s thoughts and attitudes.
First I would like to address Senator Obama here:
“We have to send a message to the world that we are going to invest in issues like education…”
What funds are we going to use to invest in these issues? Let us not forget the $700 billion bailout that just took place. Our economy has to be the main focus and Obama is all for more and more spending. His inexperience is horrifically exemplified in this debate.
Second, what about Israel? If Obama continues to ignore what Ahmadinejad is doing, we will see a nuclear war in the middle east which will end the world…
Is McCain the best? No. We need a new candidate there as well.
Let’s just remember that Hitler promised change too…
Stephen R Covey enlightens us in his book, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, that to find whether or not a person will be good for the job it is important to look at their motivation for wanting the job. We know that John McCain’s motivations have always been to make a positive difference in government. This has been seen by his many government accomplishments as well as his sincerity in advocating for Americans. Obama may sound good to many but what motivation is really behind this smooth talking lawyer? And how many of you take the time to read all you can about each candidate?
JUST IN - the REAL Truth!
Check out Obama:
http://www.youtube.com/wa.....svG-s_Ssb0
Yeah, check out who Biden REALLY is:
http://www.youtube.com/wa.....AZmO80dLfE
Dear Ronald Reagan,
It sounds like you are the one that lacks intelligence. By stating that:
“It looks like Obama needs to take notes while Professor McCain is giving lecture. Nobody expected Obama to be so ignorant…Obama must have cheated in Harvard, he behaved like educated in Africa.”
…you’re the one that’s clearly unethical and lacking in intelligence. Your remarks were unwarranted, ignorant, and clearly racist. Proud McCain supporter eh?
This debate is a good start, but we need more interaction between the Senators. John McCain did not make eye contact and he did not want us to see how old and short he is compaired to Mr. Obama. McCain is for deregulation, well, “deregulation” is what got us in the mess that we are in now with our Finacial Issues. How can one be for regulation and deregulation at the same time. It sound like McCain is double talking and flip-flopping.
Some of you people seem to have not measure of reason or logic, or listening skills. Granted, almost all of them are “newbies”, so they’ll pr’ly not see these remarks:
Nate (other), general points with no real facts to back them up -
Obama really has no clue. (False - take an anti-partisan pill, please)
1. Universal health care, look to the neighbors up north who have it. 40% of there income taxes are used for health care and Canada has a very small defense budget.
- There is some truth to this. But compare the *overall* cost of their healthcare - how much do the citizens pony up (including premiums). If you add it up, per capita, we pay a h*lluva lot more! A big reason for this is not just the Insurance Companies gouging us, but that a lot of people can’t afford insurance, so they put off preventative medical treatment and end up having extraordinary bills from the emergency room, oftentimes with the final bill falling on the taxpayers (and insured people).
2. Our national defense supports most of the manufacturing in the states.
What?!? Certainly, we spend an inordinate amount on defense, but I would hardly say that the military accounts for most of the manufacturing. Although, with the way we’ve been shipping manufacturing overseas, this may have more truth nowadays. I’d like to know where you get this “fact” from.
3. He needs to get with his current events. We can not send troops into Pakistan. That would be an act of war!
- Ha, this is ridiculous! And invading Afghanistan & Iraq weren’t acts of war? If the President truly determines, using *facts* and *true* NIE’s and Intelligence Reports, that we must invade Pakistan to protect our country, wouldn’t you want them to do so? You surely supported Bush’s war of choice against Iraq!
- Also, if you’d pay even closer attention to current events, you would see that President Bush has authorized Special Forces missions into Pakistan. So, clearly, Obama must be on track OR you need to turn on President Bush.
As for the debate - I think, at worst, Obama did as well as McCain, but honestly, I think he gave thoughtful, intelligent answers showing his policy differences with McCain (some of which are very small differences). As *everyone* expected McCain to mop the floor with him, I would say this is a *win* in Obama’s column!
One thing I wish Obama would have brought up more, though he may not have had the time to given the overruns by both candidates and the interruptions by McCain (though Obama *did* interrupt a couple of times, McCain did so several more times).
Obama on Iraq - we need a timeline for withdrawal, he’d do it in roughly 16 months (shortly thereafter, the Bush Administration announces an agreement on a “time horizon” for withdrawal - nice newspeak, typical of this Administration)
Obama on Iran - it’s important to talk with our enemies, not just our friends (I personally submit we need to stop referring to anyone as our enemies, except those we are *actually* fighting - Al Qaeda, etc., but that’s just me) (shortly thereafter, the Bush Administration sends high-level members of the State Department to talk with Iran)
Obama on Afghanistan - we need more troops there to seek out and destroy Al Qaeda and the Taliban Fighters. They are resurging (shortly thereafter, Bush began speaking of a “surge in Afghanistan”)
While I’m not a big fan of this Administration, I do like that they’ve been taking wiser courses of action of late (in *some* things). And, it seems, that Obama has provided some impetus for those course changes…
How can anyone say he’s wrong on foreign policy?? Three big issues addressed, three very solid answers given!
Thanks from an American overseas! (Italy)
This was a very interesting debate. I came out of it thinking both did well on some points and both faltered at times. Technically I could vote tomorrow and mail my ballot back to the States; but I need to see an additional forum focusing on several more important issues facing our country.
This will be a very important decision for every citizen to make…
One other thing - while speaking on the bailout on CNN, Anderson Cooper was comparing their two plans side-by-side to see whether they’d likely have to cut back some of their promises. Neither one (during the debate) really came out and directly said what they’d cut, but McCain ducked the question entirely, whereas Obama addressed it as “we’ll have to see where the economy stands…”, etc. Nice answer!
The thing I noticed is that McCain’s promises amount to 1.5 Trillion (with a ‘T’) dollars more being added to the Federal debt than Obama’s promises.
I’m not pleased that *either* of them plan on growing the debt, but the debt growing more under McCain is contrary to people’s (esp. Republicans’) expectations of the two parties’ approaches to the economy!
I am less upset with growing the debt *if* the money is being spent to improve the infrastructure and create jobs and I believe Obama’s plans & promises all revolve around strengthening jobs in *this* country!
I look forward to the next debates!
THere is no doubt that McCain is relying on the fact that he is a veteran and that he is white. He is only repeating the rhetoric that is popular in polls.
He keeps saying things over and over again to different questions.
McCain has no plan for americans making under 250,000 a year.
no health care plan. I pay twice what I paid for less coverage 5 years ago.
there are far more americans than soldiers and veterans.
Hey lets forget about the american people as a whole. lets just think about dead soldiers and veterans.
lets WIN in iraq at any cost.
at the cost of the US economy.
at the cost of gas prices.
at the cost of health care.
Before watching the debate, I was undecided. I feel Senator Obama swept though the debate — He has the broad vision and strategy for the economy, foreign policy and national security that resonates with me.
I think of Iraq and Afghanistan as battles in a larger war. President Bush (and Senator McCain) has been so short-sighted about these battles that they forgot about the war. I feel if we continue the current course, we’ll win the battle and lose the war. We need to uproot the Talibanism and Al Qaeeda by winning the idealogical war in the minds of hundreds of Muslims that are totally disenfranchaised with America and becoming “them” rather than aligning with “us”.
Senator McCain sounded so much like Senator Clinton — He kept ranting about his experience and misrepreseting positions of Senator Obama (age brings about memory loss after all).
In the rubbles of our economy and national security I see the shadows of the old and aging politicians. They actively contributed to the demise of my America. I refuse to participate in this madness anymore! I would take chance with Senator Obama to help me help my country.
I missed this debate on television, and was very pleased to have found it here. Thank you.
Sen. Obama is certainly concise. He is quick-witted and accountable while staying on course. He is good under pressure and under fire and is by far the more charismatic of the two. Unfortunately for him, McCain’s ex-POW status makes him very attractive to a large group of target voters. I believe it’ll be a snug race.
While Sen. McCain made several points, he also had the tendency to deflect the attention to what he has stood for or stood against in the past. Also, he spends a lot of time blowing his own horn and relying on epithets that were worn out long ago. It should be said that, while she is far more thoughtful of her responses, Palin shadows McCain’s style at almost every turn. Of course that comment has nothing to do with the debate… Also, my take on McCain’s lack of eye-contact with Obama is that (in this) they are enemies. Watch closely, because win or lose, I’ll bet McCain will look him in the eye after the election. To say this man is “scared” is ridiculous. I honestly think both men are close to fearless.
I am undecided on who I will vote for. I believe that both of these men are capable of running our country. I just hope that we choose the one who is best in the long run to finish what we have started in the Middle East and get the US out of debt.
Suddenly it all makes now
http://www.youtube.com/wa.....27nTE_39xk
It’s times like this when having a two party only system is going to get us all killed. Thanks for posting the video’s without an incoherent liberal tirade.
I so want a Libertarian to be President. Maybe a Constitution party guy. I really don’t care, as long as they are actual Americans that I won’t have to overthrow by force. Please, anyone but these old socialist/statist freaks that would have been the enemy during the American Revolution. But, thanks again for posting the video. I don’t mean to be impolite.
Obama has to stop calling Mccain, “John”!!! That is so disrespectful!
Am I the only person upset with both candidates being okay with giving Georiga 1 BILLION dollars?
Obama brings it up that he proposes it to raise the point that he is thinking in Georgia’s interest and McCain didn’t say A WORD. You want to know why? Because he can not. He has a Georgian Lobbyist working for him and He has such interest in that country that Georgian president even called him out by the name.
Horrible spending policy supported by both candidates. I mean is Georgia poor? They don’t have the money to rebuild their own country? We are in dire straights over here and were going to send a billion over there? This is the equivalent of being flat broke but taking out a loan to give to someone else who just had a burglary! McCain brought up a point which Ron Paul actually brought to him in a debate that we are sending 800 billion dollars to countries that don’t even like us. But he didn’t tell us who he plans on cutting out from that if any at all!
People power:
It’s nice to see a democrat in the forum. I would like to point out that Obama talks of all this change, yet he does not outline his plans to change squat. Lets look at Illinois for a second…the state is in the worst shape it has been in for years. If he cannot handle a state, how can he handle a country? His immaculate use of circular logic is more than enough to confuse and coerce even the more intelligent people in the listening crowd. Too bad he proposes more and more pork barrel spending in a country that cannot afford any more irresponsibility in it’s budget.
My dear Charles,
God forbid, Mr. McCain is not able to complete a term as pres. Then Americans are left with Mrs. Palin who has no military experience neither Washington experience. Senator Obama has the respect of the international community. Can you say the same for McCain or Palin? Do you seriously believe Palin will be prepared to handle the office of president (even within four years)? I think not. RIDDLE ME THIS, WHY IS THERE A SET RETIREMENT AGE IN AMERICA? Is it because our mental, physical abilities are mostly deteriorated by that age as determined and accepted by the American Government. Be honest just for the moment and answer this question for all Americans.
This is to those undecided voters:
McCain should be elected into the White House for important and logical reasons.
1. Healthcare- Obama has stated that you WILL lose your healthcare plan. You will NOT be able to choose your doctor, dentist, etc. This will be chosen for you, you will not have a say.
2. Experience- Yes McCain has been in the war, but that is not what I am addressing. Obama in the senate for two years is what I am adressing. He is what the above topics are calling “Newbish,” and ill experienced. We need to face the fact that we don’t know everything about Obama. His views have changed throughout, and how he has criticized McCain is immoral. Obama has a bad past of his own, and although he is putting down Palin and McCain he forgets that your family does not affect you!
3. This brings me to my final point: Relationships- Yes Palin’s daughter is pregnant, but does this mean that Palin is now a bad parent, and from that a bad politician. Personal life from other people does not affect you. Palin’s daughter, likewise Obama’s father does not affect them. It should NOT be brung up in topics.
McCain ‘08.
–Ben Dover
I have to hand it to McCain for the way he articulated measurable concrete steps in dealing with the war, the threat of terrorism, and our current economic diress. Obama tended to repeat himself and generalize his answers. I personally voted for Mike Huckabee in the primary and regret he couldn’t be the one speaking tonight. Hopefully the american people from both parties listening to the debates will pay more attention to subtance and not surface political jargon. I look forward to the next debate.
I think that Obama needs to stop sticking his nose in the air and be a bit less arrogant, needs to have a little lesson on “respect”. One thing that is clear to me now from this debate is that Obama can’t be trusted. He’s a smoothe talker and charasmatic, I see how people could be drawn to him. However, he’s a big talker. He will clearly say ANYTHING to get votes and to be the next president, but as the president what will he actually DO? What is he just saying, and what does he really mean? Can we trust a man like this? I’m not comparing- but just to give an example, Hitler - was charasmatic and a smoothe talker too, and if he was to stand up against Mccain, it could be people might be drawn more to hitler because of his “way with words” or his overall presence- but could he be trusted? Obviously , no way.. We can’t have a president that he can’t trust. We can’t have a president who is disrespectful. Obama was clearly disrespectful on many accounts during the debate, and was obviously spewing things for the soul purpose of getting as many votes as possible. Mccain isn’t the ideal candidate either, but at least I can trust him as president, at least he has experience, and I feel he is much more fit for the job.
Ben Dover
“1. Healthcare- Obama has stated that you WILL lose your healthcare plan. You will NOT be able to choose your doctor, dentist, etc. This will be chosen for you, you will not have a say.”
Stop with the misinformation. Go on Factcheck.org if you have to. They even debunked McCain’s misrepresentation of Obama’s plan which still doesn’t hold a candle to what YOU claim you want to tell the undecided voter.
From Fact Check
“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.”
http://www.factcheck.org/....._no_1.html
Obama’s plan PROPOSES to make what ever health care you have more affordable. That’s it. Who ever you have you will still have you will just pay less for it.
your number 2 applies to both candidates. Experience is official off the table and competence is on. We don’t know everything about Obama is part of the urban legend boogieman clan out there. Go on Veterans against McCAin website you will see there are issues about McCAin that we also do not know about. But the vetting of those issues are irrelevant to the man at this stage. If anything even the toe jam on obama’s feet has been run through some type of media outlet. So if YOU dont know enough about him then you are speaking for yourself. Unless you believe the emails snopes keeps debunking.
Your number 3 has died long time ago and has never had anything to do with Obama’s campaign.
My advice to anyone who doesn’t want him in there is to focus on facts. There are plenty of facts on him which you can use. But if someone who is undecided decides to check into claims from his opposition like this they may come to the conclusion that he’s a good candidate and the only thing wrong with him are things people make up.
Ben Dover - where are you getting your so-called “facts” from?
1. Switching your healthcare plan from a high-cost, high-control insurance company (I used to work for one, I well-know the rules!) to a government-ran plan will reduce the cost-per-claim of administration by about 80%. I don’t have *full* control of which doctor to see - oh, sure, I *could* see *anyone* but then an out-of-network bill will come and I’ll be selling pieces of my home just to cover the cost. So, moving to a government-controlled healthcare system would simply change *who* tells me which doctors I can see…no loss of choice there at all.
What’s McCain’s plan? Give a family $5000 credit when costs have gone up for a typical family of four to $2000+ per month! Oh yeah, and that credit will be eaten up by his tax on the premiums…nice.
2. Experience? Experience points to a long list things done, right *and* wrong. McCain has been a *HUGE* de-regulator and is now adopting “pro” regulation rhetoric to try and sound pallatable (sp?) to the undecided folks. The truth is, his experience shows a very long line of poor decisions and a few very good decisions. Which one are we going to get if he wins? Will he overreact at the wrong time or underreact at the wrong time?
Obama has a rich history of hard work and devotion to his community and his family and has a strong track record of reform within the Illinois Senate. His nearly *four* years (yes, do the math, he joined the U.S. Senate in January of 2005 - that’s much closer to four years, than two, stop stating false facts) have not given him enough opportunities to have a solid record. He has a *strong* record of compassion and measured decisions - a stable, charismatic leader…perfect choice!
Still, none of us *know* exactly what a President will do when elected. Events often shape a Presidency and so we can only hope we pick the person who is most likely to approach a problem in a sane, stable and thoughtful manner. McCain has shown a great deal of instability over these last 3 years that simply makes it impossible to know which McCain will be on top of the next crisis…the rational Maverick or the irrational, angry McCain?
3. Family doesn’t matter? I’m sorry, but there can’t be a double-standard here. If you say that Bristol’s pregnancy is a family matter and a personal matter, I would agree. However, you need to be consistent. Some other teenager is pregnant out there (many others) and *many* of them have been scape-goated as “the problem with our society” and the parents have been called bad parents. Either you think it’s a personal matter and we shouldn’t berate them or *all* of them should be berated and *all* of the parents blamed.
Unlike McCain, Obama is *still* married to his first wife. Whereas McCain traded up. His first wife dutifully awaited his return from his horrid POW ordeal. Shortly after his return, he dumped her for a shot at Cindy and her money and connections…ooh. Family Values at their highest.
I don’t hold Bristol’s pregnancy against Sarah Palin. Mrs. Palin has many other qualities that raise my ire. I’m glad Bristol was able to *choose* her course. Choice is the goal I have for all women. She should be fine (hopefully so) with a supportive, and moneyed, family.
However, I *do* strongly believe family *does* matter. How parents raise their children greatly impacts their children’s views on the world and how they respond to positive and negative events. How parents raise their children also speaks volumes about what they consider important messages to pass along to their children and the values their children have speak strongly towards the parents’ successes at imparting that message.
I do not fault the Palins for Bristol’s pregnancy. But then again, I have that strange liberal mindset that teenagers *will* have sex. It’s so weird that they would be called so strongly to do so…it’s only hard-wired into our biology. They’re gonna do it, therefore, they should be warned of the dire consequences of their actions - teach them how to avoid danger and they’ll tend to avoid danger, brow-beat them that they should never do something and they will *very* likely do it simply as a point of rebellion…
But virtually *none* of this has anything to do with the actual debate and how well Obama held himself against the supposed superior on Foreign Relations…kudos go to Obama
Michele
I wish you people would stop with the Hitler comparisons.
McCain is like hitler because he is all for this war despite the facts which have come out he said he would still go in, sings about bombing Iran has promised us we will be in more wars but he is no Hitler.
I heard from Bill O’Reily that the ACLU is like