Yesterday another presidential debate hit the US. This was highly anticipated to be a ‘streetfight’, but those who would have enjoyed that was left disappointed. It was again a quite civilized affair. Obama came out on top again, but mainly because McCain didn’t win it. He desperately needed to.

Barack Obama is a gifted speaker. He is confident and direct in his explanations of the economy and foreign affairs, and he is consistent in his plans in tackling the problems facing America. He deftly answers the questions asked by undecided voters and probably won quite a lot over with his professional behavior yesterday.

Obama continued to impress with his knowledge and plans on the climate, Iraq, Afghanistan, the economy and so the list goes on. 

McCain on the other hand, probably didn’t. He spent too much time talking about the past; going over his senate voting history and name-dropping past greats like Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. For someone as old as McCain, it is important to be seen to have a future vision, and not rest on past laurels. If you can call it that. That wasn’t the only thing that made McCain look all of his 72 years. The way he walked around the auditorium to interact with the audience was the walk of an old man. Like a grandfather you would help over the road. Not a man you would elect to be president. His jokes were old fashioned, but at least more good-natured than the ones he fired off during the last debate. Except when he referred to Obama as ‘that one’. Some say that is a racist expression from the southern states, but would McCain be that stupid? Or is it just because he is too old to know better?