???The first of three presidential debates took place on Friday night, after months of anticipation and questions of whether the economic crisis was handled sufficiently enough for John McCain to show up.
???It appears the night's winner was debate moderator Jim Lehrer.
???His first question asked where candidates stood on the financial recovery plan. A lack of straight answers from both sides was disheartening, considering the immediacy of the $700 billion bailout plan in question.
???Though Lehrer tried to get a more specific answer from either candidate, he finally moved on to the focus of the debate - foreign policy. Obama and McCain's responses there were only slightly better, with neither getting specific about the nation's future in Iraq.
???For a while McCain noted Obama's lack of support for the surge in forces in Iraq while preaching its success. However, he never explained how he plans to increase American military presence in Afghanistan while keeping a substantial number of soldiers in Iraq, something he has promised to do.
???Obama spoke of "dropping the ball" and the near-trillion dollar budget deficit caused by the Iraq War, reminding voters that it began in 2003, not 2007. However, he stated that a residual force would be necessary in Iraq for peacekeeping and counter-terrorism. Most American generals, according to a CNN.com column by Peter Bergen, have said such a force "would consist of four to eight brigades."
???Depending on the size of the brigade, Bergen says it would mean nearly 40,000 American soldiers remaining in Iraq for a long time. Obama has never specifically estimated the size of such a "residual force" to allow the far-left to continue the belief that an Obama White House would mean a future where the U.S. has left Iraq.
???In essence, the two offered nothing new for viewers.
???Perhaps this is the debate Americans deserve, in a country where the media is fueled by issue-detracting gossip, these candidates gave us the bare minimum in bold, new strategy and stuck to their respective "guns."
???Both presidential hopefuls pulled their punches, resulting in a draw. The lackluster nature of the night will hopefully make voters as well as candidates more attentive to the remaining two debates.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
