7:00- Here He Is, Mr. Postpone the Debate:
McCain and Obama take the stage. Despite McCain's earlier efforts to cancel the debate, he's here on time and looks well-prepared and ready to rumble. Both candidates appear appropriately somber, given the current financial crisis.
7:10- Can you spare some change?:
McCain: "Republicans came to Washington to change government, and government changed us."
7:15- Lipstick on a Pork Barrel:
The candidates are discussing spending. John McCain accuses Barack Obama of requesting $932 million in earmarks as a Senator; Obama comes back to compare the $18 billion earmark budget to the $300 billion in tax cuts McCain would make, which Obama says would mostly go to wealthy Americans.
7:18- Straight Answer Express?:
Obama has addressed McCain's $300 billion tax cuts twice and both times McCain responded by returning to hammering pork barrel spending. The moderator steps in and tells McCain to address the tax cuts.
7:22- Off the Record:
McCain says, "You've got to look at our records," and says he's opposed waste and Obama has not.
7:25- Take a Shot:
Obama hammers the Dems' central message: "We can't afford four more years!"
7:30- A Corny Energy Plan:
McCain says he'll end corn ethanol subsidies.
7:39- Whose Orgy?:
Obama: "John, it's your president who's presided over these spending increases, this orgy of spending." Obama says McCain has voted for too many Bush budgets to be now attacking spending increases.
7:40- Political Pageantry:
For the second time tonight, McCain responds to Obama by saying, "It's well known that I have not been elected Miss Congeniality in the Senate."
7:42- I Learned the Lessons of Iraq in a Stinking Rathole in Vietnam!
On the subject of the lessons to be learned from Iraq, McCain talks about the difficulties of fighting an insurgent force and the importance of bringing troops home victorious, while Obama hammers down a campaign plank by pointing out that he opposed the war and that we are spending $10 billion every month on it while Iraq has a $79 billion surplus.
7:45- The Claws Come Out:
Obama: "When the war started, you said it would be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong. You said we would be welcomed as liberators. You were wrong. You said there was no history of violence between Sunnis and Shi'ites. You were wrong."
7:45- Tactical Error:
McCain snarks, "I'm afraid Senator Obama doesn't understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy."
7:48- Afghan Hound:
Obama says Afghanistan needs more troops and more money to "Capture and kill Bin Laden, and crush Al-Quaeda."
7:50- Resolved:
Moderator: "Having resolved Iraq, we'll move to Afghanistan..."
Both candidates laugh.
7:53- Strategic Emphasis:
Obama points out that there are four times as many troops in Iraq as in Afghanistan, and emphasizes, "And that's a strategic error."
7:56- Song and Dance:
McCain on Pakistan: "I know how to work with them. And I certainly would not say I'm going to attack them."
Obama responds by pointing out McCain's notorious musical number, "Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran."
7:58- Take a Shot, Take II:
McCain mentions Reagan for the second time tonight. He says he stood up and opposed Reagan on sending Marines to Lebanon, and was proven right when nearly 300 Marines lost their lives in the barracks bombings in Lebanon.
8:00- Bracelets are the New Flag Pins:
McCain talks about being given a bracelet by a mother whose son died in Iraq, and promising her that he would do his best to ensure that her son did not die in vain.
8:02- Comparing Bling:
Obama's got a bracelet, too: His was given to him by a bereaved mother who asked Obama to promise to do his best to save other parents from losing children in Iraq.
8:03- Timetables:
The moderator complains hollowly that his five-minute time frames for each question have been run over.
8:05- Godwining the Debates:
McCain invokes Godwin's Law by saying that if Iran acquires nukes it would be a threat to the existence of the state of Israel and that, "We cannot allow another Holocaust."
8:07- No Arms Race:
Obama voices his fears that excessive posturing and sanctions against Iran, without cooperation from nations like Russia and China, could set off an arms race in the Middle East. Barack calls for direct diplomacy along with sanctions.
8:08- Ahmawhat?
John McCain, opposing Obama's willingness to hold talks with Iran without preconditions, stumbles several times over pronouncing the name of Iranian leader Ahmadineja... Ahmanadine... Ahama... Oh, forget it, we can't spell or pronounce it either.
8:11- Right as What Now?:
Obama points out that Ahmadinejad isn't the most powerful person in Iran, then says, "I reserve the right as President of the United States to meet with whoever I want, at a time and place of my choosing, if I think it will make America safer."
Pssst, Barry, the election's in November!
8:13- Axis of Nukes:
Obama says cutting off diplomacy with the "Axis of Evil" caused them to quadruple their nuclear capacity.
8:16- No, U!:
As the moderator tries in vain to redirect the candidates and introduce a new question about Russia, McCain and Obama bicker loudly over whether or not Henry Kissinger (a McCain advisor, incidentally) recommended direct diplomacy with Iran at the presidential level.
8:18- Bridge to the 20th Century:
Obama: "We can't be a 21st century superpower and act like a 20th century dictatorship."
He goes on to say you don't deal with Russia based on "staring into his eyes and seeing his soul, you deal with Russia based on, what are the national security interests of America."
8:19- Eye Spy:
McCain: "I looked into Mr. Putin's eyes, and I saw three letters: K, G, B." He says we can't go back to the Cold War, but that Obama doesn't understand that Russia committed serious aggression about Georgia and has become a "nation fuelled by Petrodollars and controlled by the KGB."
8:23- And Then, a Pig Flew By:
Obama and McCain agree on building a strong alliance with the Ukraine and helping Georgia rebuild.
8:24- Energy:
Obama wants solar, wind, nuclear, and clean coal energy. He recalls McCain's remark about looking at the candidates' records, and points out that McCain has voted against alternative energy multiple times.
8:26- Excuse Me!:
McCain talks about storing nuclear waste and offshore drilling. Obama attempts to respond and is talked over, first by McCain, then by the moderator, who sighs wearily, "Nobody can be opposed to alternative energy."
8:27- Are We Safe?:
McCain says we're safer now than we were the day after 9/11, but that there's more to be done. He credits families of 9/11 victims with the creation of the bipartisan coalition that investigated 9/11.
8:30- Root Canal:
Obama: "We have to go into the root cause" of Al-Qaeda. He says that's in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He goes on to say "We are less respected now than we were four years ago or eight years ago," in the world, and that there's a lot of work to do to restore America's image as a "shining beacon on a hill."
8:32- In Vain?:
McCain says Obama's plan on Iraq would make American soldiers' sacrifices futile and cause Al-Quaeda to establish a base in Iraq.
Obama responds that the real problem is Bin-Laden is still out there, Al-Quaeda is operating in many countries around the world and the US army, busy in Iraq, can't combat Al-Quaeda.
8:35- Swift Boat:
Obama attacks McCain on one of his strengths, veterans' care. Barack says it's too hard for veterans with PTSD or physical disabilities to get disability benefits and care.
8:37- POW:
McCain closes with: "I guarantee you, as President of the United States, I know how to heal the wounds of war."
8:38- Goodnight:
The candidates exit to uproarious applause, stopping to shake a few hands and smile for a few photos.
