Yeah, it is really good to read this.(all the people who feel like Obama is winning) Cause I was feeling like Obama was getting his ass kicked. McCain keeps coming up with very specific lies about Obama, this terrible terrible thing Obama did in a horrified drama queen tone of voice that shows how we can believe Obama would this stupid/evil/reckless. And Obama answers back in this formal tone, with no passion behind the counterattack. So I'm guessing a low information voter (which would have to be close 100% of the swing or undecideds at this point) would rate McCain a lot higher than Obama. But maybe for once I'm overestimating the stupidity of the American people. Reading this thread makes me hope so.
I think McCain's doing well. He's got a handle on the details, he's presenting his position well, he's got a good idea of wherehis strengths lie. Though I notice the audience gets cold whenever he talks about his experiences and who he knows. But I think Obama's holding his own. He's probably a bit more long-winded than the general electorate would go for, but he's sounding pretty capable. This debate should be McCain's strongest, but I think Obama's shown he has a pretty decent grasp of the current geopolitical landscape.
I don't see this debate changing the polling too much. I still think that McCain's "will he or won't he" is going to have a bigger impact on people's impressions.