The First Obama-McCain Debate: Not As Telling As Real Life
by David Corn
No memorable exchanges. No historic zingers. No gotchas. The much-anticipated first face-off between Barack Obama and John McCain resolved little. Neither candidate strayed from their usual briefing books. The talking points were recycled. McCain blasted Obama for being a rookie in the ways of national security. Obama questioned McCain's judgment, notably his initial support for the Iraq war.

New York Times Editorial: The First Debate
The first presidential debate could not have come at a better time. We were afraid that the serious question of picking a new president in a time of peril, at home and abroad, was going to disappear in a fog of sophomoric attack ads, substance-free shouting about change and patriotism, and unrelenting political posturing.

Bob Shrum: We Now Know Who The Next President Will Be
McCain has nowhere to go but stunts, warmed over stump lines, and lying ads -- which pollute his brand more than they hurt Obama, and the ugly hope that backlash may save his feckless campaign. The press will mostly miss the point: Obama met and surpassed the test.

A Calm Obama Weathers a Storm of Sarcasm
By Bill Boyarsky —
Was he too calm? Did he pull his punches in an effort to look presidential? Not really. The viewers got a clear choice: a reasoned and reasonable Obama versus an old-fashioned Cold Warrior who would keep us in Iraq endlessly and extend the boundaries we must defend to Georgia and Ukraine.

Cranky Vs. Cool
McCain sneers and sighs while a calm, presidential Obama holds his own.
by Joan Walsh

Cafferty: Palin fit to be president?
Jack asks: Is Governor Sarah Palin qualified to be president?