Comment by just me’s suggestion about adding some direct questions from partisan supporters is an improvement that I think the candidates would actually agree to.

I would like to see a “lightning round” in which the moderator fires off a quick set of short yes/no questions and gives each candidate the opportunity to vote “yes”, “no”, or “present”. That would be fun, but I’m sure that Sen. Obama would never agree to such conditions.

Does anyone recall Caroline Kennedy informing Brokaw that the Obama camp considered choosing Brokaw to run as Veep with Obama? Sort of TonySnow-the-elder does an Executive Office gig to bring media seasoned gravitas to the ticket? Yet no MSM folks raised the issue of bias on Brokaw’s part like they did for Gwen Ifill or NBC generally.

I thought the debate should have been hyped as “Brokeback Brokaw 4 Obama” the way they both screwed McCain into the ground.

Unlike most admininstratins who have months to get themselves organized, whomever wins needs to be involved in the economic planning for the recovery plan the day after the Election. I would hope that each-side would at-minimum anounce therir preferences for their senior Cabinet and WH postings before the Election; we can’t wait until March or April for the next US Secy of the Treasury to be sworn-in. Both McCain and Obama missed a golden moment to put that name further at the debate when asked. They just brushed it aside for some philosophical polemics, rather than address one of the most important issues they’lll face the day they become POTUS.

One of the admirable aspects of the British Parlimentary system is the Shadow Cabinet; the key players are already vetted and briefed by their respective Ministries ready to slot right-in. In this modern age, December is too-late to start looking at resumes.

Hopefully some good soundbites can be gleaned from the video footage for new attack ads from both sides.

As far as the candidates, McCain was far more animated and exciting than Obama. I think the debate might move things towards McCain a bit, but he needs more

I think the debate was boring because the questions were boring and allowed the candidates to go into talking point/stump speech mode.

I thought McCain’s answers were much better and Obama spent a lot of time talking in circles over all. The only interesting question of the night Obama didn’t answer at all and McCain answered well.

I think the problem with this debate was that Brokaw overly screen the questions to the point that they were questions he wanted to ask rather than questions the public wanted to ask. I think this format stunk because it turned the townhall style debate into another newsroom moderated debate.

I think it would have been more interesting if they had avoided the vaunted undecided or uncommitted voter and gone for 1/2 of the audience partisan Obama supporters and the other half partisan McCain supporters. Screened the question for apprpriateness only, and drawn the names out of a hat. A McCain supporter gets to ask Obama a question and visa versa.

I think this would have avoided the talking point regurgitation that pretty much defined the evening and would have resulted in more interesting questions.

Obama, too, was toned-down, and I thought it was intentional. He even made a comment toward the beginning to the extent that people view McCain as having gravitas and him as a lightweight, so I thing he was very conciously trying to be serious and somber.

It’s not surprising tho… THE MAN’S 73 YEARS OLD! That he can stand up on stage and not completely embarrass himself is actually kinda impressive. Try picturing your grandfather standing up on stage under the same circumstances. And there’s one of McCain’s inherent problems… these debates just remind people how friggin old the guy is. Barring a miracle for the old coot, I can’t picture the final debate being any different.

I DID!!! I didn’t watch it!

Yes, band practice again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K50TS0UZE7w