I Like the Format

8 Thoughts About the Last Debate #1

Last night's debate was, by far, my favorite in terms of format. By sitting the candidates down and putting them so close to each other, it gave the appearance of a really tense conversation. I found Bob Schieffer's performance to be a bit more problematic.

For the most part, he stayed out of the way which was a good thing. Occasionally, he would prod the candidates to answer the question asked which is also a good thing. He did, however, seem to give John McCain the last word more often than Obama. (Perhaps when the last work was as hate filled as many of McCain's were that wasn't such a bad thing for our side?)

Worse was Schieffer's inference that both campaigns have been operating at the same level of negativism. This is simply not true. Research backs up Obama's claim that nearly 100 percent of the ads currently being aired by the McCain campaign are negative. Wow, what a maverick.