McCain Was Lovable?

I've been reading the opinions that various people have offered about the debate. Everyone's doing his or her best to describe what they saw. Most of these opinions I'm filtering like other partisans do, finding intelligence in the pro-Obama ones and ignorance or a lying spirit in the pro-McCain ones. Then some just make me laugh. Or to say, "You got to be kidding!"

Here's one in its entirety from pawprints18, who definitely sees things differently from me:

I thought Obama came off as the grumpy, inpatient, smug one. McCain always referred to Obama respectfully as "Senator Obama" - while Obama sought to elevate himself and lower McCain but referring to McCain as "John" rather than Senator. Obama kept looking off to his left with hateful, inpatient glares on his face, and hand signaling while McCains was speaking. I though McCain was sharp and on point. He saw right thru Obama's smoke screen of using many words to try to conceal the fact he hasn't the slightest idea how to handle security issues. Obama, when he spoke second on issues, HAD to state, "I agree with John." First he was trying to sound congenial, but primarily it saved him from tryhing to articulate on areas in which he is clueless. McCain kept his cool, smiled a lot and was lovable. Obama looked pouty and glared. Not attractive at all. Obama lost.

Posted by: pawprints18 | September 27, 2008 1:02 AM

Let me say, at the risk of becoming a Republican ad (Republicans, who praise "reaching across the aisle" yet eschew any sign of civility), pawprints18 offers some fair points. And a few points not so true. There's no way that Obama was "hateful," "impatient," "hasn't the slightest idea," or "clueless." He wasn't glaring. He was hand signaling to Jim Lehrer trying to get in a word edgewise during some of McCain's filibustering; there's very few points awarded for being walked on.

As for McCain, here is where pawprints18 gets amusing. "McCain ... smiled a lot and was lovable." Yes, nothing says lovability like the crouch and fangbearing of a cornered animal. As for Obama looking "pouty," it just didn't happen. He looks serious when it's time to be serious, and has a very refreshing smile and demeanor when the time for that is right. There were a few times when Obama could've gone right ahead and got in another good point and even zapped McCain but he gave it over to the moderator when enough was enough.