he doesn't like it up 'im

The candidates met in Philadelphia last night for what might be the last debate of the campaign.

Bottom line: bad night for Obama. The questioners went hard after Obama from the off, asking him about Bitter (such a rubbish name for a campaign storyline, I know, but Bittergate is even worse), about his relationship with fomer domestic terrorist William Ayers, and about Reverend Wright. And instead of batting everything back with a smile, Obama let it get to him. While the substance of his answers was good, his demeanour was surly and subdued, just a step away from bad-tempered. I'm sure he's tired of answering these questions, but hundreds of thousands of voters were tuning into this campaign for the first time, hearing a lot of bad stuff about this Obama guy, and seeing an irritable candidate reply (isn't he meant to be the nice one?). It must have looked almost like he didn't think he should have to answer this stuff. In which case, that's a problem. I suspect he was way too tired - his campaign should have ensured he was in better physical shape and mood.

The only thing that saved the debate from being a flat-out victory for Clinton, was Clinton. Once again, she jumped in with both feet when she stood have stood back and made her best 'more in sorrow than anger' face. I can just about understand in the case of Ayers - she wants to make every effort to push this story into the light. But generally, when she attacks, she reminds people of what they don't like about her, and if the questioners are asking aggressive questions of Obama she ought to just let them get on with it.

So, not a good night for Obama, though whether it will have much effect on the race either way we'll have to wait (until Tuesday) to find out.

Comments

[campbell]

There seem to be more critics of the debate format and anchors than of the candidates.Generally a wasted opportunity all round.

[Kyle]

I'm not so sure the media is going to cover it as a "bad night" for Obama. Almost everything I've read in newspapers, seen on TV, and read on blogs &c. has been that ABC did a terrible job handling the debate, and that one of the moderators, Stephanopoulos, was a Bill Clinton senior campaign advisor in the 90s.