Tipsheet

Immediate Analysis

This was, perhaps, the most boring debate I've seen.  Rather than trying to win, both candidates were trying not to lose ... to avoid making a mistake.  Clearly, McCain wanted to stress experience, and has a much greater command of foreign policy than does Obama.  But Obama held his own -- primarily by misrepresenting his past positions (such as support for missile defense, whether or not to negotiate with dictators without pre-conditions, etc.).  I don't think that anyone won, which is bad for McCain, as it probably means the trajectory stays the same ...