With such close proximity, I don't think certain pundits are seeing the debate results very clearly yet. On one hand, I question whether I saw the same debate some of these people watched. Even some friendlies seem overly blah about the thing.
On the other hand, I think it's symptomatic of post-debate reactions in recent years. History, and the perception of history, are a matter of accumulation over time. I think we're hearing the word "tie" a lot because both concensus and clarity haven't developed yet, so there's a lot of hedging and searching. And, of course, some stalling.
Nevertheless, at this point, I'm trusting the gut reactions of the polls which are indicating a hands-down win for Senator Obama. This, I believe, will shape the historical perception of this first debate.
The viewers enumerated in these polls clearly watched the same debate you and I watched.
This was easily Senator Obama's best debate performance. He was relaxed and collected. He tweaked Senator McCain on Spain and "Bomb Iran" without fear or hesitation. Most of all, he was smooth and fluid -- we didn't see any of the stammering we saw in the primary debates with Senator Clinton. This was a major milestone in Senator Obama's transition from underdog freshman to powerful world leader. History will reflect that. And most remarkable of all, he won the foreign policy section on both points, style and expectations. A month ago, this test was practically a given in favor of McCain.
Meanwhile, Senator McCain, while scoring some History Channel points based on his connection to the military and war, performed as predicted. He was spastic, jittery and contemptuous. Overall, he was just plain uncomfortable. This is striking for such a drama queen who clearly craves the spotlight. Perhaps it's small-man syndrome. Perhaps he's intimidated by Senator Obama -- a man who is far more gifted. Or maybe it's all of that, with extra added contrast against Senator Obama's polish and presidential temperament.
Simply put, I watched 'President' Obama debating a sneering, smirking old crank who might be qualified for a mid-level bureaucratic position at DOD, but not much else.