Tonight's Debate Observations...

Overall nothing groundbreaking. We've heard it all before. I've tried to be fair in my notes, but I am an Obama supporter. Take that as you may.

Who would you name as your treasury secretary?
1. Obama - did not name a possible treasury secretary in his cabinet.
2. McCain - named Meg Whitman, floated Warren Buffett (yeah, right! namedropping!), wants to buy up bad mortgage loans and renegotiate (How would you pay for that? - my husband has informed me that it is part of the bailout)
3. It cracks me up how McCain continuously refers to his campaign "suspension." Heehee!

How will the bailout help people?
1. Another mention of buying mortgages by McCain.
2. McCain - Fannie/Freddie problems were a result of Obama's "cronies."
3. McCain - keeps talking about how American workers are the best in the world and are the fundamental of our economy. I'm out of work. That doesn't help me any.

How can we trust you with our money?
1. Obama - (tying McCain to Bush) Bush took us from a surplus to doubling our national debt, will spend money on health care, energy, and higher education countered with spending cuts.
2. McCain - "consistent reformer" and Washington is broken. Obama is the most liberal big spender in Congress.
3. Here goes McCain calling out earmarks again (1% of our budget). Is there really anything bad about funding $3 million for a projector at a planetarium in Chicago?

Legislative priorities - energy, health care, and one more - which order do you place them?
1. McCain - all three at once, reform
2. Obama - #1 energy (JFK reference with going to the moon), #2 health care, #3 education
3. Obama pointed out the "$4 billion tax break to oil companies," but at least he framed it properly within all tax cuts.

What sacrifices would you ask Americans to make to improve our situation?
1. McCain - eliminate earmarks, spending freeze exempting defense, veterans care, and other priority programs
2. Obama - everyone coming together (9/11 reference) but disproved of Bush's call to "go shop," energy conservation - clean-coal, more drilling (brings up the 68 million acre bit), buy American hybrid cars, doubling Peace Corps, encourage young Americans to volunteer

How would you break habit of debt and easy credit?
1. Obama - Washington needs to set an example, McCain will give CEOs more tax cuts, all should share the burden, use a "scalpel" to cut budget rather than McCain's "hatchet"
2. McCain - last president to raise taxes during economic hardship was Hoover (didn't Reagan raise taxes? I'm not sure what the situation was, though.), says that Obama's tax increases will affect 50% of small businesses, double child tax-exemption
3. Obama wanted to reply to McCain's tax policy claims, but the moderator (Brokaw) will not allow it.

Will you give Congress a date to reform Social Security and Medicare?
1. Obama - can't guarantee in two years, but will aim for first term
2. Obama - tax plan clarification - tax cut to 95% of Americans (actually 81% of all Americans, 95% of families, I believe), most small businesses make less than $250,000, so the tax cut will help them, if we reform the last 8 years of policy we can help reform SS/Medicare
3. McCain - "I'll answer the question." A commission to fix SS/Medicare, then let Congress vote on it, spouting the incorrect "94 times Obama voted to increase your taxes."
4. McCain didn't really answer the question.

How will you get Congress to act quickly on environmental issues?
1. McCain - nuclear power, alternative energies
2. McCain got a bit flustered there.
3. Obama - this an not just a challenge but an opportunity, national security issue, invest in solar, thermal, geothermal, nuclear as a component not main, for 30 years Washington did nothing, incorrect "McCain voted 23 times against alternative fuels," gov't will work with private sector to develop new energy
4. Neither has answered the question.
5. Brokaw is starting to be a smart ass.

Should we fund a "Manhattan Project" for energy or small programs?
1. McCain - gov't turns over to private sector, touting the Bush/Cheney energy proposal that Obama voted for (funded alternative energies), drill, baby, drill
2. Obama - either wasn't allowed a reply or I just missed it

Should healthcare be treated as a commodity?
1. Obama - isn't really answering the question, reminding that his plan will let you keep your current plan or can buy into government plan
2. McCain - also isn't really answering the question, will allow you to buy insurance across state lines

Is healthcare a privilege, right, or responsibility?
1. McCain - responsibility
2. Obama - right for every American, McCain is a deregulator in everything

How will our economic situation affect our ability to be a peacekeeper in the world?
1. McCain - not answering question, judge when it is worthwhile to send our military in, we're a nation of good
2. Obama - also not answering question, McCain wrong on Iraq, Iraq has strained our budget, cites Iraqi surplus (isn't $79 billion), we are a force of good, we're unable to help in places like Darfur because of lack of worldwide respect

"Obama" and "McCain" Doctrines pertaining to peacekeeping not involving national security (i.e. Darfur, Congo)
1. Obama - moral obligations, wobbly argument concerning Holocaust and Rwanda (we could have done something but didn't), we need worldwide respect to do this efficiently
2. McCain - Iraq again...defeat...victory...sheesh, peacekeeper versus peacemaker

How should the US deal with Pakistan and terrorists just inside their border?
1. Obama - should have paid attention to Afghanistan rather than Iraq, expand non-military aid, will take out al-Qaeda if Pakistan won't
2. McCain - (I didn't listen to most of it) Obama is irresponsible, Teddy Roosevelt is now his hero?
3. rebuttal Obama - nu huh, McCain is irresponsible
4. rebuttal McCain - (didn't listen again)

British commander says we are failing in Afghanistan. How will you change this strategy?
1. Obama - work with Karzai government and get them to gain popular support
2. McCain - double size of Afghan army, streamline NATO, surge in Afghanistan

How can we apply pressure to Russia on humanitarian issues?
1. McCain - looked into Putin's soul and saw KGB (if that isn't a Bushism then I don't know what is!)
2. Obama - provide support to former Soviet satellites, anticipate problems

Reagan said Soviet Union is the Evil Empire. Do you think Russia under Putin is?
1. Obama - sorta
2. McCain - won't say yes, so he gets a sorta as well

If Iran attacks Israel, will you support Israel or wait for UN approval?
1. McCain - would not wait, Russia and China would hold us up, League of Democracies (the stupidest idea every in my opinion)
2. Obama - isn't answering the question, diplomacy and other actions first before military

What don't you know, and how will you learn it?
1. Obama - life story time
2. McCain - we don't know the future (?), life story time (wow, no mention of "I was a POW"?)