What an exciting Debate!

I was riveted by last night's debate, and was thrilled to see such an exciting event with two men who, each in their own way, are knowledgeable and forceful in their ideas and communicate those ideas well.

Neither Obama or McCain tried to dumb it down or get repetitive and rattled like a certain George W. who was always painful to watch. Sure, it was a little sound-bitey, but often I felt that each was talking straight and with passion.

I give them both a win for style and relative substance in the debate. Bravo for making it a great forum for summarizing what they have been saying all along in this freakin' long campaign. I also give them points for not collapsing with exhaustion along the way.

It was not a game changer for me, of course. Obama still gets my vote because of real life observations of the candidates. McCain has a lot of positives, and I really like him, but the choice of Sarah Palin for a running mate (made even more obvious this week) was a serious lapse of judgement, or a kowtow to the far right. His overall record is as a moderate, but I am afraid he sold his soul to the far right for financial backing for his campaign. Calling off his campaign and trying to delay the debate was also a head scratcher this week, a ploy for appearing presidential, but nothing more. It was interesting gamesmanship, but easily countered.

Obama is a liberal--not an unreasonable goofball liberal, so get over it. He is not prone to bizarre behavior or for getting rattled. He appears to be a listener, and he appears to have a good understanding of political maneuvering and compromise. Joe Biden is my big disappointment in this ticket. He is experienced, but kind of obtuse and old school. I wish Obama had the guts to pick Hillary for a running mate instead. The pair would have been a slam dunk.

Overall, though, I have been excited about our choices in candidates this year. I do not have the feeling like I have to hold my nose and vote like I have in the past few presidential campaigns.