Round One A Draw

Tonight's presidential debate between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain went on as scheduled at the University of Mississippi, hours after McCain deemed the negotiations on the federal bailout of Wall Street sufficient enough for him to split Washington for awhile.

Was it worth the trouble? The debate turned out to be a dead heat, just like the campaign, with neither candidate saying anything memorable or stupid. They both stuck to their well-worn positions on international policy: I'm the experienced one, and you're the new kid on the block. No, Senator, you and your party's policies have failed the country for the last eight years, and now we want our chance. It was like that.

The economy dominated the first part of the debate, to no one's surprise, given the gravity of the last week and a half. Both men offered up tax cuts as one way to solve the problem. But mostly there was the consensus that something had to be done, and quickly.

What stood out, really, was McCain's condescension toward Obama in terms of his experience and military service. He kept saying "You don't know what it's like", as if he were addressing his son on the ways of the world. Obama is a grown man. He can take care of himself.

After the debate, a telling moment came when the Obama campaign provided vice-presidential candidate Joseph Biden for TV interviews. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate, was kept out of sight. Understandable, since Palin came across as an incoherent fool when interviewed by CBS' Katie Couric. But it does not bode well for her debate with Biden Thursday night.

Now McCain and Obama can go back to Washington and help save the country from financial ruin, so that the next time they have a debate, they'll actually have something to talk about.