Debate is over.
7:35 PM: McCain goes after Obama, saying he is like Bush..."I honestly don't believe that Sen. Obama has the knowledge or experience and has made the wrong judgments in a number of areas, including his intial reaction to Russian invasion...uh...aggression in Georgia." - John McCain
7:30 PM: Candidates are discussing the likelihood of another 9/11 attack. Obama says we need to go deal with terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that we need to fix our standing in the world. McCain says Obama wants to forget about Iraq and that signals victory to Al-Qaeda. Obama says we need a broader strategic vision.
7:25 PM: Thanks to HuffPost for noting that Obama is wearing a flag pin and McCain is not!
7:16 PM: Lehrer asks about Russia.
Obama says their actions in Georgia were unacceptable and lays out what Russia must do in that situation.
McCain says Obama is naive. Lays out that the Russia attack on Georgia had to do with energy and the pipeline. Obama agrees with the McCain assessment other than his portrayal of the Obama response.
7:12 PM: McCain makes a joke about being President. Nobody laughs.
7:03 PM: Lehrer asks about the threat of Iran.
McCain says that if Iran gets nuclear weapons, they are an "existential threat" (wtf?! he needs to learn the meaning of that word) to Israel. He says sanctions on Iranian could have a beneficial affect and says that they have a lousy government! Wow! I can't believe he would say that out loud (to quote his own phrase).
Obama talks about Iran funding Hezbollah and Hamas, and that our policy over the last 8 years on Iran has not worked. That we cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran.
McCain struggles with the President of Iran's name (ACK ACK ACKMIN ACKMINDINADINADINADINADINADINAJAD)
6:57 PM: Lehrer asks about Afghanistan and the candidates spar over Afghanistan and Pakistan. They re throwing one liners back and forth. McCain tells a sob story about a mother of a fallen soldier giving him a bracelet to wear for her son. Obama says "look, i have a bracelet too." McCain accuses that Obama didnt go to Afghanistan so he must not care about it either. McCain then says Pakistan was a failed state when President Musharraf came to power and anyone who went there would know that. (While Musharraf did take over in a coup, to call them a failed state at that point is a fucking joke).
6:50 PM: The candidates are arguing over Obama's plan in Afghanistan. Literally talking over each other. I don't know why either of these candidates are saying that the surge in Iraq worked. A UCLA study that came out this week said that that wasn't the case, that sectarian violence lessened because of ethnic cleansing in neighborhoods.
6:44 PM: McCain goes after Obama saying he never visited Afghanistan and that the surge worked. Obama retorts by saying it wasn't his committee that would deal with that. Says that, "John, you like to think the war started in 2007, when it really started in 2003," and then goes after McCain for all the things he was wrong about at the start of the war.
"I'm afraid Sen. Obama doesn't understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy" - John McCain
6:39 PM: Lehrer asks about the lessons of Iraq.
McCain says our initial military success disappeared because the war was badly mishandled. That he went to Iraq in 2003 and came back and said we needed a new strategy. He claims the current strategy has succeeded and we will win in Iraq.
Obama says this war was wrong. That we shouldn't hesitate to use military force but we need to use it wisely.
6:35 PM: Obama says we are spending $300 billion in tax cuts for people that don't need it, and we are not funding health care, then our values need to be reanalyzed.
McCain says the Obama health care plan take choice away from families and gives it to the government. Then rails on and on about spending. Apparently he has "plans" to reduce unnecessary spending.
6:33 PM: McCain calls for a spending freeze on everything but caring for veterans, national defense, and several other vital issues. Obama responds by saying that's using a hatchet when we need a scalpel. ZING!
6:28 PM: Obama says to eliminate the programs that don't work and to bolster those that do. McCain retorts by saying we need to cut subsidies for ethanol, attacks Obama for having the "most liberal" voting record in the Senate (and Obama responds with a sinister laugh like he is going to tear him apart), and then McCain goes on to talk about defense spending. The debate seems pretty even to this point (although Obama's answers are more to the point).
6:25 PM: Obama and McCain are sparring over taxes. It is somewhat humorous. They accuse each other of misrepresenting the numbers. Obama seems scholarly. McCain seems folksy (although I think he is just acting like a child). That is probably good for McCain.
6:18 PM: McCain retorts by going after Obama saying he didnt start cutting spending until AFTER he was running for President and says Obama will raise spending.
Obama responds that by ending tax loopholes, as he plans to do, will pay for all the tax cuts. He says his plan will help the middle class and McCain's does not.
McCain lays out specifically what he is thinking in terms of the business tax cuts, saying he wants to cut it so businesses will remain in the USA and not go abroad. He then again says Sen. Obama is a "recent convert" because he requested pork barrel funds prior to running for President. Asks what Obama's definition of rich is...
Obama lays out what his tax plan is, saying that 95% will get tax cuts but the top 5% wont see a rise in their tax rates. He then goes after McCain saying that although business taxes are high, there are so many loopholes that they pay way less. He then says McCain wants to tax health benefits.
6:15 PM: Jim Lehrer asks specifically what each candidate would do as President to fix the economy.
McCain says he would cut pork barrel spending and would veto all spending bills.
Obama agrees spending limits are good...but attacks McCain for his tax plan that includes tax cuts to the rich, with CEOs getting $700,000 in tax cuts. He then lays out his plan (tax cuts for 95% of working families)
6:10 PM: Obama says he is likely to vote for the bailout plan but says he has yet to see the language. In an otherwise excellent retort about wall street vs. main street, McCain misleads by saying he called for the resignation of the head of the SEC. He in fact said he would fire him if he were President (a power the President does not have).
Obama goes after McCain on saying the fundamentals are strong. McCain responds by saying he has faith in American workers to get by. Non-responsive, yet an excellent answer.
6:02 PM: Obama open the debate with an excellent answer about the economy. He seems to be on a roll. He even attacks Mccain. McCain responds initially by mis-stepping (not knowing Sen. Kennedy is out of the hospital and forgetting where he was), but powers on to an excellent answer, making him come off as extremely likeable.
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