Barack Obama and the First Presidential Debate

The press accounts of the performance of Senator Barack Obama in the first Presidential Debate at South Carolina State University give him high marks for staying in there with politicians who have been Senators or Governors for much longer.

In fact, one poll gave him the winner's edge over Hilary Clinton and the entire field. Nevertheless, he proved that despite the fact that he had not fielded complete positions on critical issues to high voting blocks like health care, social security and the like, he was able to answer crucial questions in a substantive manner equal to his colleagues that did him no harm.

The primary criticisms of the media were leveled at the fact that he did not appear presidential enough in his response to a question about Iraq that asked, if two American cities were attacked by Al Queda how he would change the military stance abroad to account for it. He was criticized as not being aggressive enough to say that he would attack and destroy the enemy and that he did not use his openings to reassure Jewish voters about his commitment to their issues.

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