PostPartisan: October 5, 2008 - October 11, 2008

McCain's Chilling Dance With the Dark Side

So the McCain camp is trying to raise doubts about Barack Obama -- even though the Illinois senator has been on the national stage for four years and has been under the presidential campaign microscope for the last 20...

By Jonathan Capehart  | October 10, 2008; 12:27 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (399)
Categories:  Capehart  | Tags:  Jonathan Capehart  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: This Is American?

A couple of points on Tuesday’s debate. When the candidates were asked whom they might appoint as Treasury secretary, Obama dodged the question -- as one might expect. But McCain straight-talked it, which turned out to be a big...

By Sebastian Mallaby  | October 8, 2008; 6:36 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (40)
Categories:  Mallaby  | Tags:  Sebastian Mallaby  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: That One Comment

When John McCain pointed to Barack Obama and said "That one" during the debate - pointing to his opponent as one who had voted for an energy bill loaded with goodies for the oil companies - I emailed a...

By Kathleen Parker  | October 8, 2008; 11:48 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (254)
Categories:  Parker  | Tags:  Kathleen Parker  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: What Was McCain Up To?

Did McCain have a strategy? John McCain’s approach to Tuesday night’s town hall debate seemed at odds with the direction his campaign has taken over the last several days, a point I discuss in my column this morning. I’ve...

By E.J. Dionne  | October 8, 2008; 11:41 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (96)
Categories:  Dionne  | Tags:  E.J. Dionne  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: Obama's Foreign Policy Surprise

Though the candidates didn’t break much ground in their discussion of foreign policy last night, I was struck by Barack Obama’s answer when Tom Brokaw asked him whether “Russia under Vladimir Putin is an evil empire.” “I think they've...

By Jackson Diehl  | October 8, 2008; 10:32 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (52)
Categories:  Diehl  | Tags:  Jackson Diehl  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: Wake Me When It Starts

Oh, wait, is it over? The white noise of the dishwasher woke me from my debate slumber. I’m kidding of course. Two pots of coffee, four cigarettes and the doors wide open were all I needed to stay riveted...

By Kathleen Parker  | October 8, 2008; 12:32 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (44)
Categories:  Parker  | Tags:  Kathleen Parker  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: Old John

Well, so much for the idea that the town hall format helps John McCain. In the town halls staged by his campaign, where the crowds are composed almost entirely of his supporters, McCain has been relaxed, and has been...

By Harold Meyerson  | October 7, 2008; 11:58 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (183)
Categories:  Meyerson  | Tags:  Harold Meyerson  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: Two McCain Successes

Before the debate began, I wrote down two questions to guide my judgment of McCain's performance. First, would McCain be able to raise questions about Obama's views and values without being snide? Here, I think he generally succeeded. While...

By Michael Gerson  | October 7, 2008; 11:54 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (283)
Categories:  Gerson  | Tags:  Michael Gerson  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: In Praise of Complete Sentences

Is it “presidential” to speak in clear sentences that have a beginning, a middle and an end? If so, we heard a very presidential Barack Obama in tonight’s debate -- a man who was fluid and precise in explaining...

By David Ignatius  | October 7, 2008; 11:44 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (145)
Categories:  Ignatius  | Tags:  David Ignatius  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: Straight Out of a Sitcom

It's my fault. I should have turned my back to the TV screen and just listened to the debate. Instead, my eyes were glued to the tube for every second. Oh yes, in addition to taking it in visually,...

By Colbert King  | October 7, 2008; 11:21 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (42)
Categories:  King  | Tags:  Colbert King  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: Political Business as Usual

At least neither of them told us to go shopping. Not that we have the money to shop with. The Great Depression got a mention in the second, not-so-great presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. So, even,...

By Marie Cocco  | October 7, 2008; 11:11 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (8)
Categories:  Cocco  | Tags:  Marie Cocco  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: Punch, Counterpunch

Well, it’s over. Admittedly, I speak from the bleary-eyed perspective of someone who has been listening intently to campaign speeches from Barack Obama and John McCain for what seems like decades. But I thought the surprise and excitement of...

By Eugene Robinson  | October 7, 2008; 11:05 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (119)
Categories:  Robinson  | Tags:  Eugene Robinson  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: What I'd Give for a Follow-Up

At this point, I’d give all the money in my pocket – admittedly, not all that much – for a follow-up question. The format in this debate is basically an invitation for the candidates to give greatest-hits snippets from...

By Eugene Robinson  | October 7, 2008; 10:16 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (110)
Categories:  Robinson  | Tags:  Eugene Robinson  
Save & Share:                   

The Town Hall Debate: Teeing Off

Body language alone was almost enough to make Barack Obama the winner of the first presidential debate. Down in Oxford, John McCain seemed crabby and small. His tactic of not even looking at Obama – I hope it was...

By Eugene Robinson  | October 7, 2008; 8:22 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (12)
Categories:  Robinson  | Tags:  Eugene Robinson  
Save & Share: