Some suggested reading about the first debate:
Hope for a Change, Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review
Romney gave Republicans a lot of it tonight. He was crisp, clear, and commanding, while President Obama flailed, forgetting to drive home any message in particular. On twitter, liberals were offering Obama a lot of suggestions for what he should be saying–just as conservatives have done for Romney in recent weeks. They know he lost this debate, and lost it soundly. I cannot think of a single exchange Obama won, and even his best lines were curiously flat when delivered. Obama’s strategy, to the extent he had one, seemed to be to make the race a referendum on the challenger. The cost of that strategy, at least as implemented tonight, was that it made Romney look more presidential than the president.
Do I Really Need to Say It?, Michael Graham, National Review
Mitt had everything: The facts, the points, the arguments and the energy. When he delivered his arguments, he looked at President Obama. When Obama responded, he looked down at Jim Lehrer.
B.O., K-O-ed., Jim Geraghty, National Review
Early on, Obama said, “I want to talk about the values behind Social Security” – and it was revealing that Obama wanted the topic to be on the warm and fuzzy feelings about the subject, instead of the numbers, the long-term solvency, the details of the reform proposals. He looked like a student who hadn’t done the readings and who wanted to desperately steer it towards a previous chapter.
