Garling Gauge

McCain-Obama Debate-Firsts 9-26-08

 McCain caves, debate lives.

Drama often has three scenes: The introduction of characters, a conflict reaching a turning point, and a resolution.  Funny enough, this first of three presidential debates will introduce Sen. Barack Obama–and to some extent Sen. John McCain–to much of America.

The polls have started to become alive in the last few weeks, indicating that non-political junkies are starting to pay attention, and for many of them tonight will be their official introduction to the ‘08 presidential race.  

For junkies, it’s hard to believe that we we’ve been anticipating this moment for so long, and almost lost it as McCain set himself up for failure by stating he wouldn’t debate until the financial bailout was resolved.

With the bailout looking as precarious as ever, McCain has caved to common sense (difficult for many Republicans), and has flown to Mississippi to debate the Junior Senator from Illinios.

So now with the stage set, the estimated 80+ million Americans tuned in, and the drama artificially heightened by McCain, the introduction of the protagonists begins.

Wet your whistle with past Debate Firsts, and enjoy these McCain-Obama Debate Firsts (first of three):

• First to appear on stage: Sen. John McCain (from CNN camera angle)
• First to be posed a question: Sen. Obama, on the economy
• First strange part of the stage: Illegible cursive words behind Obama
• First to mention President Bush: Obama (linking him to McCain)
• First to look into the camera while answering a question: Obama
• First to mention Sen. Kennedy being in the hospital: McCain
• First to say he hasn’t been feeling so great lately: McCain
• First to wear tie that looks like a barber shop swirl: McCain
• First to look at the moderator while answering a question: McCain
• First to mention offshore drilling: McCain
• First to say he warned America about the impending economic crisis: Obama
• First to say he would vote for the bailout (even without reading the language): McCain
• First to talk about the root of the economic crisis: Obama
• First to quote the other candidate: Obama (”The fundamentals of the economy are strong”)
• First to make the audience laugh: Obama (turning to McCain at the behest of the moderator to address McCain directly)
• First to be asked to direct his comments to the other candidate and refusing to do so: McCain
• First to expound upon useless platitudes of American ingenuity: McCain
• First to mention “pork barrel spending”: Guess who
• First to try to make a joke (about bears) and failing: McCain
• First to use a prop: McCain (using a ‘Sharpie’ pen to make a point)
• First to mention a website: McCain
• First to mention that his tax plan could help Americans “buy a computer for his kid”: Obama
• First to say he is called the “Sheriff”: McCain
• First to mention a coin of currency: Obama (dime)
• First to be asked to respond directly to the other candidate twice in a row and refusing to do so: McCain
• First to point his finger at his podium: McCain
• First to stutter: Obama
• First to say 95% of Americans will get a tax cut: Obama
• First to call the other candidate by his first name: Obama
• First to say the other candidate will begin taxing your health care: Obama
• First to ask a rhetorical question: McCain
• First to say something the other candidate said was “just untrue”: Obama (he was right, too)
• First to interrupt the other candidate: McCain
• First to list a series of initiatives he wants to see happen: Obama
• First to wrinkle his brow: McCain
• First to laugh at the other candidate’s one-liner: Obama
• First to mention a “little ship”: McCain
• First to lick his lips: McCain
• First to address the moderator by his first name: Obama
• First to say the other candidate is right: Obama (he’s done it four times now)
• First to mention Google: Obama
• First candidate to be interrupted by the moderator: McCain
• First to mention veterans: McCain
• First to say “you’re using a hatchet when you need to be using a scalpel”: Obama
• First to mention Iraq: Obama
• First to mention Sen. Hillary Clinton: McCain
• First to take the lead three times in a row when the moderator asks a question to both candidates: Obama
• First to mention “values”: Obama
• First candidate to avoid looking at the other candidate for 40 minutes: McCain
• First to say the word “orgy”: Obama
• First to mention torture: McCain
• First to call himself a maverick: McCain
• First to mention his running mate: McCain

Watch full debate here: Click Full Debate Video

• First to praise General Petraeus: McCain
• First to mention Osama bin Laden & al Qaeda: Obama
• First to mention baseball: Obama
• First to say the other candidate was “wrong” three times in a row: Obama
• First to say the other candidate doesn’t know the difference between a tactic and a strategy: McCain
• First to take notes with his left hand: McCain
• First to say he wants to kill Osama bin Laden: Obama
• First to mention 9/11: Obama
• First to mention poppies: Obama
• First to talk about aiming a gun at somebody: McCain
• First to talk about the other candidate singing songs about bombing Iran: Obama
• First to say “when I’m President of the United States”: Obama
• First to mention Ronald Reagan: McCain
• First to mention bracelets: McCain
• First to ramble: McCain (about war, mothers, honor, oh, just about everything)
• Second person to say he has a bracelet: Obama
• First to bump his microphone with his hand: McCain
• First to say a nuclear Iran is an existential threat to Israel: McCain
• First to say he proposes a “League of Democracies”: McCain (Like the League of Justice?)
• Themes developing: McCain keeps saying Obama doesn’t understand issues, Obama continues to say McCain is right.
• First to mispronounce the Iranian president’s last name (Ahmadjinedad): McCain
• First to mention tea: Obama
• First to mock President Bush for staring into Putin’s eyes and seeing his soul: Obama
• First to say he looked into Putin’s eyes: McCain
• First to say something the other candidate is saying is “untrue”: Obama (numerous, numerous times)
• First candidate to consistently refuse to acknowledge the other candidate’s point: McCain
• First candidate to relent on a trivial point to move the debate on: Obama
• First to say he’s proud of his own accomplishments: McCain
• First to say he believes in missile defense: Obama
• First to say America is the greatest country on Earth: Obama
• First to get the lowest rating of Independent voters on CNN’s voter meter: McCain
• First to make multiple transitions from foreign policy to the economy: Obama
• First to call the other candidate stubborn: McCain (oh, the irony)
• First to mention the word “love”: McCain
• First to bring up America’s standing in the world: Obama
• First to get the last word: McCain
• First to congratulate the other candidate: Obama
• First to kiss his wife: Obama
• First couple to approach the other couple to congratulate them: the Obamas

END DEBATE

More DEBATE FIRSTS here.  

Image: http://cnn.com, http://drudgereport.com

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