1. One of the few recent public appearances where McCain came across as a reasonable, not-out-of-control, contender for the Presidency. 2. Obama was Obama, though he is displaying an increasing competence in extemporaneous formats, something lacking earlier in the campaign. 3. Although he did not kiss him on the lips, neither did McCain evince personal disdain for Obama, he did in Debate I, to his disadvantage. 4. Obama abandoned the "John" references, referring to his opponent as Sen. McCain; McCain maintained his Debate "Sen. Obama", with one unfortunate slip as "that one." 5. As in Debate I, the differences between the two are frequently tactical, not strategic---we're not looking at polar opposites here. 6. The most significant distinction between the Senators is their tax policies. McCain favors the continuation of the Bush cuts which target the very wealthly, and throws in an additional $100 Billion of cuts for them an corporations. Obama proposes tax cuts for individuals and smalll businesses with incomes of $200,000 and lower, and would not extend the Bush cuts, meaning he would raise taxes on those who benefited from the Bush cuts and not add any additonal cuts for those income groups.
7. Conclusions: (a) McCain did not emotionally self-destruct and, in fact, displayed a new-found calmness in his demeanor; he showed the public that his knowledge of issues far surpasses his running mate's, and he is not, like she, a mere television personality (b) Obama performed like a well-schooled professional tennis player---Roger Federer comes to mind: smooth, powerful, got all the shots but no obvious weaknesses. If McCain needed a knock-out, he didn't get it; if Obama needed a wild-eyed erratic McCain to end the race, he didn't get it either. 8. The contest returns to the status quo ante, which means McCain's chances for victory remain slim.
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