Posted on 09/27/2008 11:44:06 AM PDT by dascallie
As the debate shifted to national security issues, McCain demonstrated why many voters see this as a strong area for him. He's been involved for decades in deciding whether the U.S. engages militarily in hot spots such as Somalia, Lebanon and Bosnia—and it shows. His cautious words about the careful use of power indirectly addressed the fear of some Americans that he'd be a trigger-happy president. Similarly, Obama's pledge to add troops in Afghanistan and his forceful language on terrorist breeding grounds in Pakistan addressed the fear of other Americans that he'd be a weak commander in chief.
On Iraq, Obama spoke repeatedly about his opposition to initiating that war. But he didn't directly respond to McCain's key points—that a surge-enabled victory in Iraq will leave this country with a stable ally in a bad neighborhood, and that the next president has to decide not whether to enter Iraq but how to leave in a way that best serves America. Obama gamely noted that he had chosen Sen. Joe Biden, a specialist in foreign affairs, as his vice presidential candidate.
The bulk of Friday night's debate took place on the turf McCain knows best: foreign affairs and military endeavors. That showed. Obama spoke capably on one topic after another; McCain, who has traveled to numerous crisis locales and joined in more foreign policy debates, spoke with more fluency and experience.
As one TV talking head said afterward, McCain spent the night on offense; Obama found himself playing more defense.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
QUESTION: How much IS Hillary paying them?
First Pittsburgh, now Chicago. Please excuse me while I go watch those pigs fly by my house...!
True ‘nuf....it was a clear victory for McCain.
I think as the initial impression wears off, McCain’s performance will appear stronger. He came off as a leader. I hate to say it, because I have never been a McCain fan, but he is showing the most leadership I have seen from either party in a long time. I hope the people of America are clamoring for real leadership in the White House as much as I am.
Add “The Nation” to the growing list of the unimpressed.
The Pittsburgh paper is owned by Scaife, a McCain backer.
Leadership is the “change” we all want. Obama doesn’t represent anything but old-style, no vision, partisan, liberal politics.
The Trib is nowhere near as bad as the Sun Times, which has more or less completely abdicated any pretense of balanced reporting or editorial comment. Oddly enough, I visited a bastion of liberalism this morning, and was stunned to learn they are just as worried as we are.
It’s not as bad, but it’s still a liberal paper.
Don’t forget Newsweek, and Washington Post also say McCain won. So did the New York Daily News which is more liberal than the middle of the road to conservative New York Post.
Oh, and the BBC called a victory for McCain as well in the debate.
BBC is left wing.
I hope this stuff is read by Reagan Dems and Indies. That is the only way John catches up in VA, NC and other states supposedly in which O holds a lead.
Obama is NOT ahead in NC.
I know...I really LOVED that one!
IIRC, The Trib endorsed W in ‘00 and ‘04.
Boston Herald as well .. tho I’m sure the Boston Globe gave it to Obama. These editorials mostly follow the papers’ standard philosophies. I’m sure we’ll see WaPo give it to Obama and the Wash Times to McCain. We all saw what we wanted to see.
I think that he was watching Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show at the time.
They realize now that they created this Frankenstein and the monster is ignorant and out of control.
Obama has managed to fool them until now--however, they are getting a closer look at him and it is slowly dawning on them that he is not at all what he's been pretending to be.
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