debate #1

Well… as expected, there was a lot of back and forth… (it was a debate after all). One thing that bothers me so much is how much ‘sidestepping’ there was. I wish the candidates would just answer the questions and explain what they support or policies they want to introduce.

I think the most defining part of the debate was towards the end when they were talking about Iraq and how our view and investment in Iraq affects us and our situation with the rest of the world. Senator Obama made a good point in that we need to spend less money and attention on Iraq to widen our scope to a world-wide level, but we can’t forget that pulling out of Iraq while it is still unstable is a poor decision. What does it take to find a balance? I feel like I need more details on each candidate’s opinion on this before I can decide which I agree with.

I’m still not a fan of ‘offshore drilling.’ I think the affect it will have will be minimal at best, and giving up the oil we actually have right now will only create more, larger problems when we run out in the future.

One interesting thing that I took away from the debate was the emphasis on ‘change.’ From the start of his campaign, Senator Obama has pronounced and advocated change. But what was interesting was how obvious it was that both of these candidates represent pretty significant change. When it comes to our financial situation, the way we handle energy in America and even some subtle foreign policies. I wonder if Senator McCain would have more support from non-Bush advocates if he emphasized his changing policies…