I watched the Presidential Debate last night and it's a funny thing. We get all jacked up about these debates, but historically, anything above a 1% shift in the aftermath is an anomaly. I tend to be as non-partisan as I can watching these things. Always watch the C-Span feed, no split screens, etc. After it ended, I thought it went 50-50. Upon further review, I go Obama's way, 55-45. That may not sound like much, but a 55-45 in the right states in November is a landslide.

There can be only one conclusion though:















My note-taking broke down in this way (start to finish for each):

McCain:

What disdain he has for Obama, not even looking at him. Noticed this immediately, as the handshake greeting wasn't even perfunctory.
"Ted Kennedy, the Lion of the Senate."
"Republicans and Democrats sitting down..."
He invoked Dwight David Eisenhower, drawing many youthful stares.
Again with the "Chris Cox, head of SEC, must leave" theme.
Earmarking, a gateway drug. As Iggy Pop sings, "Of course, I've had it in my ear before. I gotta Lust for Life!"
DNA of bears...Palin, anyone? And, my pen is old.
"Pork-barrel", then "sheriff", then "Miss Congenialty". That goes to Palin this year, BTW.
No tax relief for single, white males. Again.
"It's hard to reach across the aisle from that far to the left." Really good line, except McCain is normally in the aisle itself, so, it's not that far.
Ethanol is bad. And I sunk a Battleship budget!
"Spending freeze" Whoa, where did that come from?
Let's go nuclear. It's fun. Like that "Funkytown" ad from Areva.
"We owe China $500 billion." Lots of bad pet food and killer toys, I guess.
"Miss Congenialty". Again.
Surge!
I happen to like war.
"I've been everywhere, man, I've been everywhere. I've been to Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Waziristan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia. I've been everywhere."
"I have a bracelet."
"Second Holocaust." A canard, this will never happen.
"League of Democracies"? Like the UN, only better? Bring back the "Knights of Prosperity"!
"You don't understand."
"Ahmadinejad"
"Brezhnev, Andropov or Chernenko until Gorbachev was ready with glasnost and perestroika." Oh, you name dropper and big word user, you.
"Without preconditions." Sing it to the tune of "Gary, Indiana".
"North Korea." "Dear Leader." "North Koreans are three inches shorter." Huh, Edith?
"No one from Arizona is against solar..."
"Offshore drilling is a bridge"...to Nowhere, perhaps?
"We are a long way from safe."
Did he really say torture? "Oh, no he dint."
"I know the veterans. I know them well." And my veterans voting record is horrible.

Obama:

"Main Street", cue the Bob Seger.
"...policies promoted by George Bush, supported by Senator McCain..."
"John said that the fundamentals of the economy are sound." You won't look at me, I'll call you John, instead of Senator (internal fist-bump!)
Right to point out that earmarks comprise a small percentage of the budget.
"I don't know where John is getting his figures..."
McCain will tax your health benefits.
Alternative energy.
Kids, study your math and science. The Chinese are in space right now!
"..free ourselves from foreign oil..."
"Google for government" and I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.
"The problem with a spending freeze is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel." Too much Iraq spending.
"Orgy of spending..." He said "orgy". Heh heh heh heh heh
"Six years ago, I stood up and opposed this war..."
"But that's Senate inside baseball..." BTW, check out my flag lapel pin!
"We've got to deal with a growing poppy trade that has exploded over the last several years." Small business loan, anyone?
He says Taliban like "Tally Man". Harry Belafonte affirms.
"I've got a bracelet, too..."
"I believe the Republican Guard of Iran is a terrorist organization." So there!
Henry Kissinger actually becomes the focus of the debate for a while. WTF?
I'll talk with anyone, anytime.
They seem to say the exact same thing about Russia and Georgia. Except McCain acts like they don't.
McCain always votes against cool energy stuff.
"And one of the things that I intend to do as President is to restore America's standing in the world. We are less respected now than we were eight years ago or even four years ago."

More, from the best polling site out there.

Meal of Links

Paul Newman died yesterday. Probably Hollywood's best philanthropist and a pretty shrewd car guy, as well. One of the greats. OK, the ones you have to see are "The Hustler", "Cool Hand Luke", "The Sting", "Absence of Malice", "The Verdict", "The Color of Money, and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". I put "Slap Shot" and "The Hudsucker Proxy" in a different category because they may not be as well-known, but are wonderfully funny. So many of his scenes stick out. One from "The Verdict", not the summation, but where he waits for Polaroids to develop and the case and his life seem to get all that much clearer when it's done. Plus, the phone ringing at the end. David Mamet wrote that screenplay and it's genius. But here is one of my favorites.

"Guns or Knives?" from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"



renting vs. Homownership.

All about TV Detectives. Jim Rockford should be No. 1.



Exercise Yard

For some reason, I stuck with the Michigan-Wisconsin game today. Only to see the greatest comeback in the history of The Big House.

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45 Across: Eponymous swindler Charles (5 letters) Answer: Ponzi