"No-Shock Barack" or "Barack the Hawk"? Some Thoughts on the Second Presidential Debate

So, John McCain and Barack Obama had their second debate tonight. And if you didn't know better, there were times that Obama seemed more like a Republican than McCain. I understand that it has been very important for Obama to pass the commander-in-chief test but is he going above and beyond the call of duty here? Everyone knows that Obama will win or lose by the economy and must simply come across as adequately capable in the realm of foreign policy? So why is trying to seem like a conservative hawk when he describes his plans for Afghanistan and Iraq? Is this really a good thing or should we be concerned? Obama seems to have pivoted from previous unsuccessful Democratic candidates such Kerry and Gore as well as the some of the positions he advocated during the primary to a much more hawkish foreign policy. While his views on Pakistan have always advocated force if actionable intelligence regarding the whereabouts of bin Laden was available, his language in tonight's debate was not only forceful but nearly brutish. He said we would "crush" Al Quaeda and "kill" Osama bin Laden. As a progressive I find these statements concerning not because I support terrorism or Osama bin Laden. Obama's rhetoric runs the risk of continuing the disastrous relationships George W. Bush has managed to create with our friends and allies. We must be able to rehabilitate our relations with Europe especially in order to move forward and turn the page on the ridiculous and dangerous foreign policies instituted by Bush and his cronies. We need a foreign policy that puts our domestic interests first and doesn't get our military slaughtered fighting endless wars that have no upside and cost billions.

In analyzing tonight's debate performance, I cannot help but notice the slew of weird comments, mannerisms, and generally stiff and uncomfortable style of John McCain. He seems to genuinely find Barack Obama distasteful and communicates his dislike rather openly (not a very attractive quality of McCain for voters). McCain, throughout this campaign, on the stump, and in the debates has treated Obama with condescension, disrespect, and general anger. It seems he still can't believe this upstart politician from Illinois dare stand on stage with him. Tonight, in the town hall setting that McCain claims as his forte, these negative feelings seemed amplified as nearly every post-debate poll showed that voters saw McCain as attacking Obama and angry. In contrast, Obama was seen favorably on issues like the economy and as more likable than before the debate. In addition, there were some strange moments where McCain seemed be taking on Tom Brokaw as he told what was presumably a joke, about not appointing him Treasury Secretary which seemed to fall flat. Another odd moment occurred when McCain referred to Obama as "that one." Now, I know much of the mainstream media in post-debate coverage played up this moment as possibly racially tinged, condescending, and the rest of it. I agree with Howard Fineman's assessment that it simply makes McCain look old. Maybe he was objectifying Obama and being disrespectful and trying to diminish him in the eyes of the voters but ultimately I feel the main impact was that McCain seemed weird and very much like a grandfather everyone finds mildly irritating and somewhat erratic. The last moment that I think was odd and should be highlighted is what happened after the conclusion of the debate. Only C-Span showed the video of the forum after the debate was over and offered footage of Barack Obama greeting the guests. John McCain and Cindy McCain did not stay and greet the townhall participants and instead, immediately exited the premises. Now, if you were down in the polls with the election less than 30 days away and the debates haven't been game-changers for you but you are trying to paint yourself as "in touch" with the voters, wouldn't you greet those voters in a personal setting such as the post-debate meet and greet? It seems like John McCain is tanking the McCain campaign; in other words, he is trying to lose when he should be doing everything he can to connect with voters and change the trajectory of this race. Its clear from all the polling that Americans finally want solutions not he said, she said politics. This is a fact that John McCain either doesn't know or has ignored as tonight he spent most of his time attacking Obama rather than promoting himself. Its clear that the only path he sees to victory is the demonization of Obama as a dangerous, untested, lunatic that associates with terrorists but is still ok to talk to in settings like a debate. Apparently, the fact the McCain would associate with Obama is not questionable despite the supposedly dubious friendships Obama had maintained.

All in all, I agree with most of the media in that, the fact the Obama didn't do anything awful and McCain didn't do anything great makes this debate rather boring but a default win for Obama. However, style counts in our elections and for that reason along with the substantive advantage Obama has, he clearly gained in this encounter. He was definitely "No-Shock Barack" as he looked very presidential. Cool, calm, collected, and steady will win Obama this election. All he needs to do is not rock the boat and hope that the secret race vote will not be the deciding factor. As a final point, it was nice to see a fairly substantive debate between the candidates without the ridiculous attacks and the guilt-by-association politics. However, we all know that tomorrow morning John McCain and Sarah Palin and their surrogates will begin the Bill Ayers mantra. After this most recent debate disaster in the context of the economy, the McCain camp must also bring up Reverend Wright and anyone else of questionable reputation to create the idea that Obama is dangerous as a last ditch effort to win. This entire line of campaigning is not only ineffective (Clinton tried this and failed) but rather specious on the part of John McCain who has claimed several times that he would like to run an honorable campaign focusing on issues. I guess what he meant was that issues are pertinent until they drive down your poll numbers. After this happens you need to as one senior McCain campaign official noted, "turn the page on the economy," or lose the election.