Second Debate

Little new was said at last night's debate. What stood out for me were the visuals. The town hall format was one that McCain wanted, but as I watched McCain move around to the different questioners in the audience, I found myself thinking more about how old he looked rather than what he was saying. Obama just semed to move more gracefully and confidently to me. Maybe it is not fair to attribute McCain's awkwardness to age; he remains physically limited in several wasy because of the injuries he suffered as a prisnor in Vietnam. Maybe I was just focusing more on appearance last night because I had heard most of the words before. There were a couple camera shots of Obama answering questions where you could see McCain sort of walking around behind him like he wasn't really sure where he should be. How candidates look can make a difference. I always thought bringing Carter and Reagan together on the same stage during the presidential debates in 1980 benefitted Reagan before any words were spoken. My guess is that if someone who knew nothing about the campaign had watched the debate without sound, they would have picked Obama as the more presidential.