A historic night: The first presidential debate of 2008
Scroll down for updates and liveblogging…Obama hammers Bush-McCain theme, McCain emphasizes — sigh — fighting against “climate change…with Sen. Clinton”…McCain hits his stride on the war, foreign policy, Obama’s no-preconditions bungle…Gaffe of the debate so far: Obama trying to respond to McCain on his military/moral authority: “I’ve got a bracelet, too!”
What a week, huh? The high-stakes presidential debate at Ole Miss starts at 9pm Eastern. Hang out here and share your thoughts. I’ll liveblog for as long as my stomach can take it.
Expectations: Low.
Ole Miss has a debate site here.
The moderator will be PBS anchor Jim Lehrer. The debate format:
– Each debate will have a single moderator and last for 90 minutes…
– During the first and third presidential debates, and the vice presidential debate, the time will be divided into eight, ten-minute segments. The moderator will introduce each segment with an issue on which each candidate will comment, after which the moderator will facilitate further discussion of the issue, including direct exchange between the candidates for the balance of that segment…
– Time at the end of the final presidential debate will be reserved for closing statements.
***
A reader proposes the first drinking game suggestion:
Michelle, how about a college-style drinking game tonight – where everyone takes a drink whenever Obama says “Bush” – in his laughably ridiculous ongoing effort to link McCain to Bush.
If you’re looking to get inebriated quickly, start drinking every time Obama says “Uh.”
Or every time McCain touts bipartisanship.
***
9:08pm Eastern.
First question on the need for solvency and security: Where do you stand on the economic recovery plan?
Obama: He’s reciting his bailout talking points…Oversight, returns to taxpayers, no CEO golden parachutes, help homeowners. Failed economic policies by George Bush supported by McCain.
McCain-Bush! Take your first swig, people.
McCain: Mentions Ted Kennedy being hospitalized. I’m not feeling too great about things tonight, but tonight I’m feeling a little better…touts bipartisan efforts to forge a bailout deal…Republicans and Democrats sitting down and negotiating.
Bipartisanship! Take another swig, people.
More McCain: This is the end of the beginning of the crisis. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Eliminate dependence on foreign oil.
Lehrer: Do you favor the plan, Sen. Obama?
Obama: We haven’t seen the language yet. There is constructive work being done there.
The question is how did we get here? Obama takes credit for warning about the problem.
McCain: Reminds that he warned about it, too. Says he will vote for the bailout. I’ve been heavily criticized for calling for the resignation of the SEC chairman.
He’s going on an anti-greed screed.
Obama: Attacking McCain for claiming the fundamentals of the economy are sound. Lehrer tries to get them to talk to each other directly. They won’t.
I agree with a commenter below. Obama is wearing too much make-up.
9:19pm Eastern.
Still on the economy.
McCain: We need to control spending. He’s talking about earmarks as a gateway drug. Refers to his friend Tom Coburn (also cited as a friend of Barack Obama). Obama has asked for $932 million in earmarks. Points viewers to Citizens Against Government Waste for documentation. That’s one of the fundamental differences between Obama and me.
Obama: Earmarks account for $18 billion in the budget. McCain wants $300 billion in tax cuts to wealthiest corporations and individuals.
McCain-Bush, McCain-Bush!
Bottoms up. Take another gulp.
McCain goes after Obama for $800 billion he supports in new spending. Obama says he’ll close corporate loopholes. Expand health care.
9:25pm Eastern. McCain is defending his business tax proposals. He really should challenge Obama on the Bush talking point.
Side note: Obama’s got a shiny flag lapel pin.
9:34pm Eastern. Sorry, tuned out for a moment there while Obama was burbling about building broadband lines.
McCain turns to defense spending. He’s recounting all his pork barrel fights.
I wonder if this debate will ever get to the stated focus: Foreign policy.
9:36pm Eastern. Another “Bush’s failed policies” line from Obama. What’s that now? 10?
Lehrer keeps hectoring the candidates to answer his question about how the financial crisis would change how they govern.
McCain says he’d call for a spending freeze on everything except defense and entitlements.
Obama’s babbling about something or other.
McCain goes after Obama on nuclear power, dependence on foreign oil…and CLIMATE CHANGE, “an issue I’ve been involved in for many years along with Sen. Clinton.”
Gag.
9:42pm Eastern. McCain is repeating his lines about cutting spending. Okay, I think he’s got his message across on that.
Obama: Bush-McCain! Bush-McCain!
McCain: Repeats his “I was not elected Miss Congeniality…I’m a maverick and so’s my running mate.”
Lehrer moves to the war. What are the lessons of Iraq?
McCain talks strategy, surge, praises Petraeus, we will come home in victory.
Obama pats himself on the back for opposing the Iraqi invasion, rattles off body count, claims al Qaeda is resurgent, complains about military spending.
9:48pm Eastern. McCain does well, finally, in attacking Obama on his surge flip-flops and not visiting the battlefront.
Obama’s answer: “I’m proud of my vice presidential pick.”
Joe Biden: Obama’s human shield!
McCain says “Obama doesn’t know the difference between a tactic and a strategy.” McCain recounts his visit to Baghdad two Fourth of Julys ago and how troops told him, “Let us win.” McCain gives a counterinsurgency 101 lesson. McCain points out Obama voted to cut off funds for the troops.
Very good fusillade from McCain.
Obama getting antsy.
McCain engages Obama on setting specific dates for withdrawal.
9:55pm Eastern. Lehrer turns to Afghanistan. Do we need more troops?
Obama: “Yes. I’ve said that for over a year now.”
9:58pm Eastern. McCain is “not prepared to threaten Pakistan as Obama said he would do…You don’t say that out loud…I’ve been to Waziristan…need a strategy…”
Sidenote: Email from reader Rich…
MM,
Overall so far…McCain is not quick enough on the uptake. Obama is more focused and clearly more prepared with the details and populist counter-arguments. McCain needs to respond quickly from two perspectives….1) What he would do moving forward, and 2) What he has done over the last 25+ years, esp bipartisan efforts.
Q1: Why did McCain say he has “spoken out” about Fannie and Freddie instead of talking about his introduction of legislation in 2003 to provide further regulation/oversight of F & F.
Q2: Obama immed answers a question of what he plans to cut during this financial crisis with a laundry list of his proposals for new spending programs. McCain misses an easy opening to say just that…”Obama was asked what he would cut and answered how he would spend”.
More later..
Rich
USMC (Retired)
Obama comes back at McCain for singing “Bomb, bomb, Iran.”
McCain returns fire with his record on Lebanon, Somalia, Kosovo. “I have a record of being involved in these national security issues which involve the highest responsibilities you can have…”
McCain recounts his Matthew Stanley bracelet story. Talks about troops, families, refusing to come back with defeat and dishonor.
Obama: I’ve got a bracelet, too!
He has to look at it…uhhh…to remember whose bracelet it is.
10:06pm Eastern. Obama attacks McCain on Afghanistan. McCain responds: “You would think if he were so concerned, he would have gone to Afghanistan.”
McCain wants a “League of Democracies.”
10:14pm Eastern. McCain takes a dig at Obama’s presidential seal…”I don’t have a seal yet”…
should have probably explained the joke a little…
10:15pm Eastern. McCain attacks Obama’s pledge to meet tyrants without preconditions.
Obama blusters on his preconditions/preparations line.
10:18pm Eastern. McCain is strong on North Korea.
Obama cites Kissinger.
McCain comes back: He’s known Kissinger for 30 years. Obama is parsing words.
10:26pm Eastern. McCain sounds forceful on Russia/Georgia. Obama follows up meekly.
10:30pm Eastern. Last question. What’s the likelihood of another 9/11?
McCain: Less than it once was. Recounts teaming up with Joe Lieberman on formation of a 9/11 investigation commission…Bush opposed us…we reached across the aisle…long way to go on intelligence services…trained interrogators so we don’t ever torutre another prisoner ever again…America is safer today than it was on 9/11, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a long way to go…he really should tie the war on terror overseas — not just in Iraq, but worldwide — to homeland security…and what about border security…
Stop. Oh, my god, he just mentioned doing a better job on our borders.
Knock me over with a feather.
Obama: He’s talking missile defense. al Qaeda in 60 countries.
McCain should have covered that.
10:34pm Eastern. Obama credits McCain on the torture issue and then gives us his Big Idea for making America safer? “Restoring our standing in the world!” Making us more “respected!”
McCain: Obama doesn’t get it. If we fail in Iraq…it would lead to defeat…Americans will judge…right path or wrong path…this is the central issue of our time.
10:40pm Eastern. Wrapping up.
McCain: “I don’t need any on-the-job training. I’m ready to lead now.”
Obama is talking about his name. Filibustering about “investing,” “The Children,” etc.
McCain gets the last word: “I know how to heal the wounds of the war, I know how to deal.”
See what others have said
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Trackbacks
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- Presidential Debate Liveblog! « WitSnapper | The Blog
- Michelle Malkin » Debate video: Obama can’t remember the soldier’s name on his bracelet
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- Election 2008–Presidential Debate I Recap | THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS
- Presidential debate drinking game. | I'm Surrounded By Idiots
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- Full Video & Transcript Of The First Presidential Debate - 26 Sept 2008 | BigMouthFrog
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That’s just sad. I’d stick with Crown and Crown.
Mookie #75
Imus was talking about a volume two the Blind Boys of Alabama said, they would contribute.
Patchthebun …
Go to the FNC home page and select the “Strategy Room” link … it will require you to install the “Fox News Live Video Streaming” application … it only take a minute or so total … then when you start the application there will be some choices of current streams at the top of the window that opens … one of those is the Debate …
Buncha drunks.
Coffee and Pumpkin Spice schnapps here.
LOL Texasengineer, I have some Pravda vodka to start with. From the Carpathian Mountains in Southern Poland.
Three buck Chuck!!
Cheers!
I’ve already got CNN up. Maybe I’ll switch the fox if CNN starts bothering me. Thanks DL!
Nope, FL.
navywife91, glad to see you weren’t offended, i wondered with my id in bold.
JAnsell, nite now, sleep well…lol
good idea
We don’t have that stuff in our home, and my husband works there! He won’t allow me to try it. As he says, you can get something exponentially better for a dollar more.
Why is FoxNews chatting up Obummer’s so-called advantage on the economy?
I could listen to them for hours. Man, that’s good music. It was good to see Rob back this week.
I’m drinking on the “uhs”
Thanks for blogging Michelle. I’ll be watching with you.
Ah, what part of FL? I know some things about TJ and FL…
Let’s hope Lehrer keeps his word and goes blue
LOL Right is right.
Shep is the commentator on Fox. He just said he is an alumni of Ole Miss.
Jim Lehrer better not let Obama steer this off the foreign policy rails tonight.
I’m falling outta my chair laughing on “Studmuffin”. Ah memories.
When our youngest son was 3 or 4…(He’s now a 26 year old USN sailor in Japan with my daughter in law and grandson)…his mother told him to go down the hall to where I was and tell his father “mommy wants you to come here you studmuffin.”
By the time he got to me…it was…and I quote.
“Mommy wants you to come in there you stuffed mutton.”
OK,
I’m ready, did I miss any thing good today??? No radio in the oil patch…
Had to truck two BIG oil tanks about 200 miles….GOD I LOVE TEXAS…
I have a brother in Gulf Breeze
Darn Moderator is putting me to sleep already.
This. Is. NERVE WRaCKiNG.
Northeast(Jags are my team)
Who picked this Jim Lehr guy anyway? Ugggghhhhh….
I used to be one of the biggest party animals in town and at my peak I couldn’t have handled drinking that much.
TexasEngineer#72 – hey thanks – pulled it for future reference, and it’s time more people pointed out the O’Reilly’s frailties.
Rob#79 – my significant other is Norwegian, ya sure you betcha!
Off to cook and have a lovely vino.
Alaskan#77 – I am so going to steal that line….off to the gym.
I’d love to know exactly when we’re getting one. I need my 3 buck chuck!
As an Ole Miss Alumni, I just have to shout out to any other Rebels reading this… “ARE YOU READY?????…” I won’t repeat the rest of it.
I’m glad they made a “no noise” rule because I have always thought applause is distracting. We’ll see how it holds up though.
um, this fox feed is annoying. I can’t really see the guys, just the commenter people.
Obama states the obvious.
Obummer understands the people of Main Street? Yeah, right…..
Hurry up and answer the question.
Obama is already boring me..did I forget the question or did he??
He’s trying to connect with me…not working…trying to avoid the ums and ahhs.
700B potentially a lot of money? Yeah
I have a brother in Gulf Breeze
Nice place. We lived in P-cola for a year and a half.
He’s talking too fast!
navywife, email me adam and hayley at g mail (no spaces, obviously)
I will tell you the details
Big mistake odumbo!
If the market, um, when the market returns…
First reference to Bush.
Bush-McCain! One drink!
HAMMER HIM MCCAIN!
cool!
He didn’t answer the question. I agree.
whole lotta nothing
coming out of monkeyboy
um…root problem is foreclosures???
Not in an engineering FMEA it ain’t. The root cause is opening the sub-prime mortgages to those who couldn’t afford to pay for them.
ZOMG its McCain’s and Bush’s fault, I knew it!
Love for Sen. Life Guard from McCain?
I am actually a sixth generation conservative Californian, by way of Norway. I love this country and know no other.
This is a difficult election for me. Both of the traitors wish to destroy America in their own way….
Juleøl is Norwegian beer. However, any drink will do in the face of such poor candidates.
McCain is using the empathy card about poor, poor, Teddy Kennedy. Boo hoo.
DOH!
O has replaced “uhhhh” with “aaannnnddd”. Now THAT’S change.
Hi, 30!
Bush drinkers 1
Uh drinkers 2
I don’t think Obama ever stated his opinion of the fix, he just spouted party rhetoric.
Didn’t take Obama long to show his ugly side did it?
hey, navy!
Kennedy isn’t in the hospital. He’s back home.
WHAT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY!
Accountablity. Gee, what a concept.
Keep talking about bipartisanship John while every Dem sticks the knife in your back. You might not win the election but you sure look presidential. Super duper
We have finally seen Republicans and Democrats sitting down together and Paulson kneeling at Nancy Pelosi’s feet and Barney Franks who turned many shades and stopped speaking in any recognized tounges
McCain took the high road.
OK lets mix it up you two…
McCain is being very, very descriptive about the “bailout” package. Very, very good.
“Okay guys, can you now just answer the question I originally asked?”
Soon it will be
dush brinkers 10
duh rinkers 20
hiccup!
AUDACITY OF A DOPE!
Obama has a LOT of makeup on.
Notice Obama was the first to bring it up…HAHAHA
Obama claims he tried to solve the problem 2 years ago? OBAMA IS PART OF THE PROBLEM. Hello? ACORN? Anybody?
Obama, Two years ago because I created the prime lending mess. I brought people’s attention to the prime Lending mess, when I couldn’t hide it anymore.
Dodd said there were plenty of regulations the other day. Of course, he got the most money from Fannie/Freddie
Bring up the fact that Obama took a bunch of money from frannie and freddie!
Hey 30! We were wondering when you’d “drop” by. What ya drinkin’? We’re all gettin’ buzzed. Right, guys?
McCain needs to talk about his call to this problem two years ago. Obama sat on his hands two years ago.
Obama forgot to say “Because I took over a hundred grand out of Fannie Mae”, I didn’t ask for the regulation I’m babbling about, because she was my suga mamma!!
Obama wrote a letter?! WHAT THE HELL!! He is such a doofus!
Fire Dodd and Frank!
Good thing I didn’t offer to drink every time Obama said “I.” He warned about the impending crisis – seriously?!?!?!
yep
I’d be tanked in 10 minutes
i’m changing from the 0’s er, uh’s huh’s shots to if he says anything, looks like it will be quiet, dry nite for me.
Accountability. Nice.
Regulations don’t mean a thing if they are not enforced … just like immigration laws are meaningless if not enforced …
I need to get a drink. Honey?!!!
Reigning economic ideology. snore….
Did McCain say he’s going to vote for the plan? Which one??
what the hell is he saying….all I hear is “wa-wa-wa-wa-wa”
McCain should have should have BAMMED Obama with his economic advisors who got us into this mess!
hahahahaa!!!!
ACORN needs more money Barack, say it.
he still hasn’t answered the question!
McCain needs to hit harder – should have said he authored a bill that democrats killed. He can’t win with kumbaya.
here go the uh’s and ah’s
and and’s
Stay out of this Jim
Holding ourselves accountable? Speak for yourself BHO
Yuck. I hate when BO looks down his nose at us, but this low head stance and looking up is kinda sinister.
Average wages for Americans go down when you factor in 12 million illegals who are at the bottom rung of the ladder.
Obama won’t admit that statistic.