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McCain or Obama: WHO DO YOU WANT CARRYING THE FLAG?
As I review the debate from last Friday, the first of the 2008 presidential debates, I come away more undecided than ever.
From John McCain we get flashes of anger, "Senator Obama fails to understand...", passion, a refusal to even once look at Obama, and a mockery of Obama's abilities to be chief executive.
From Barack Obama we get stuttering starts, over a dozen times "I agree with John," an unflappingly moderate tempo, many failed attempts to interrupt McCain mid-sentence, and the half-fisted thumb-jabbing gesticulation again and again and again.
I'd like to feel confident about one of these guys but I find it becoming ever more difficult to do so. I have yet to comprehend the Obama "charisma." What does everyone else see that I do not? And while I've always like McCain in the past, now he's making me nervous.
Here's some unsolicited advice for those two if they're going to get my confidence:
Obama: no more stammering. The Ally MacBeal delivery is unnerving in a President. Keep your hands down. Do not look the camera in the eye and do not tilt your head back when listening to McCain. Stop looking at McCain. Find a couple of buttons to push that will expose an intemperate hothead.
McCain: love the passion but watch the contempt. Glance at Obama once in awhile, fake some respect. Watch the grimacing. Make some references to the internet (after making sure you’ve got it right). Obama’s lack of experience is obvious, point it out by example, not by direct assault.
And my latest thoughts concerning the V.P. candidates after last week....
Obama has made the mistake of picking a partner who can’t say evil about McCain. Biden can only praise his friend and longtime senate partner. Biden needs to sharpen his script and stick to the performance schedule. He still can’t believe that he was picked. Stop babbling to reporters. Answer only what is asked. Restrict access. Do a Palin.
Palin serves as a strategic counter to Obama and as an assault on Obama in two ways. By matching Obama in charisma and raw sex appeal as well as relative inexperience, every criticism aimed at Palin can also be aimed at Obama. Palin, meanwhile, is free to attack Obama as if he were a moose on an Anchorage crosswalk.
Palin’s shocking inability to deal with Katie Couric and that dreary Charles Gibson is an embarrassment that needs rectification, pronto. She needs to study her position cards for some sound bite responses to reporter questions and she needs to act like the boss, not pandering for some emotional connection with the press.
I wish that I could get enthusiastic about one of these tickets, but things seem to be getting worse than better in that regard.
If I were in McCain's campaign, I'd take all of the times Obama said "I agree with John" and squeeze them into a 60-second commercial making it look like Obama was practically endorsing McCain.
If I were in Obama's campaign, I'd ignore McCain completely. Who? There's somebody else running?
Are you happy with your choices, now that it's come down to this?
