Sunday, September 28, 2008

More Politic-y Stuff

So I finally watched the presidential debate.  I don’t have a lot to say about it, though I thought it went well.  I thought the candidates were pretty evenly matched, and that the verdict depends on what you find most convincing:  logical, eloquent professorial speech, or lots of experience with appeal to the emotional. 

I know that Foreign Policy and Defense are McCain’s strong points, but I thought he did better than I expected him to, considering his lack of time to prepare.  He refrained from his two debate habits that normally drive me insane:  a) Picking some minute point of his opponent’s and hammering it into the ground even though he’s completely off base about his opponent’s actual position on the issue, and b) that smug little “you are so beneath me” grin.

It’s funny, one of McCain’s attacks on Obama is that he’s little more than a good personality… but I don’t really see that much personality in Obama.  He seems logical, even-tempered, considerate.  But I don’t feel like I know who he really is, compared to the other candidates.  That said, I do feel like I could predict his response to things much better than McCain’s, after some of the stunts McCain has pulled recently.  I know he’s trying to be a “Maverick,” but I feel like I don’t know what to expect from him (or why he does the things he does) and that sort of makes me uncomfortable in a President.

I’m hesitantly looking forward to the Vice Presidential debate.  I’m interested in it, but I’m not so confident in Sarah Palin’s grasp on world issues, nor her grasp on the position she’s “supposed” to have on those issues.  And I just don’t enjoy seeing anybody get slaughtered in this kind of thing.  Her own campaign doesn’t trust her behind a microphone, as evidenced by the fact that John McCain will cancel his campaign before he lets Palin head it up in his absence.

Perhaps she’ll surprise us all.