If Senator Obama pushed for this debate despite Senator John McCain's calls for a postponement – only to deliver this sort of performance – well, he is in for a tough road over the next 5 weeks.

After reading several media comments (from geographic Democratic strongholds) like these:

"...Barack Obama came across last night as exactly what he is -- one of the most inexperienced politicians ever nominated for president. And John McCain never looked more presidential." (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

"Throughout the debate...McCain had facts, figures and names at his fingertips...(McCain) called Obama naive, dangerous and inexperienced, and his attacks, which seemed to frustrate Obama, put him on the defensive for the majority of the night." (New York Daily News)

It's clear that a lot of people are thinking the same thing. ...

+ Read The Democrat View

Senator John McCain won the debate – and it wasn't close. It wasn't a home run, but he hit it hard.

Senator Obama was expected to wrestle control of the initial block of the debate – the economic portion - and weather the storm during the foreign policy portion.

He did neither.

Where Senator Obama continued to offer the populist position that has endeared him to many American voters, Senator McCain was the main one mentioning how he would address the financial crisis by addressing government spending. He illustrated the example of his involvement with the $6.8 billion contract between the Department of Defense and Boeing, talking about his role in eliminating government waste in this deal; (I'm sure that his actions didn't endear him to Republicans that staunchly stand for a robust national defense, but as a bipartisan maverick that once considered becoming a Democrat, I'm sure he doesn't lose sleep over it.)



When Obama noted the $300 billion in tax cuts proposed by McCain, McCain effectively responded by illustrating that Obama – in the midst of this economic crisis – is proposing tax increases on those that help create jobs and, more importantly, is proposing $800 billion in new spending with his proposed budget.

It's hard to cut taxes for 95% of Americans and introduce $800 billion in new spending, especially when a $700 billion bailout is currently on the table.

To highlight how he could do this, Senator Obama quickly turned to the spending attributed to the war in Iraq, a move that shifted the focus to McCain's strength.

From that point on, McCain took control. McCain mentioned Obama's shortcomings on:

Georgia-Russia situation (McCain took a strong stance against Russian aggression while Obama was initially reserved and "keeping abreast of the situation" – he was on vacation in Hawaii at the time, remember?);

Pakistan (McCain spoke of diplomacy – Obama's strong suit – and criticized Obama's comments of military strikes against Pakistan); and

Iran (McCain called Obama "naïve" for believing that he could sit with Iran's president "without preconditions" without legitimizing the radical behavior such rogue individuals carry out.)

A telling point was when Senator McCain mentioned Senator Obama's absentee leadership of a committee that oversees NATO that is in Afghanistan.

Senator Obama's response?

"...I'm very proud of my vice presidential selection, Joe Biden, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee..."

To use Senator Biden's experience to directly argue Senator Obama's qualifications as the Commander in Chief is like the GOP saying that the Sarah Palin VP selection highlights the inclusion and high profile of minority groups within the Republican Party.

Even one of Senator Obama's best lines of the night ("...you like to pretend like the war started in 2007...") speaks to a possible indifference to military history. If Americans focused on the initial years of our World War II involvement in the early 1940s instead of on the goal, we may all be saluting a different flag today.

As a former basketball player, Senator Obama should know that sometimes, you can't focus on the way you start out playing the game. It boils down to persistence and how you finish.

Maybe he can apply this mantra to his approach to these debates because, from where many Americans sit, Senator John McCain is 2-for-2 in nationally-televised events (including the Saddleback Civil Forum.)

____________________
Lenny McAllister is the Political Guru for Fox News - Charlotte and blogs the Republican side of the election for BlackVoices. He is a frequent contributor to The Charlotte Post and The North Carolina Conservative.

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