The pundits on the right and the left were pretty much in agreement that McCain needed to use the debate to turn around his flagging campaign. "Debates should not be confused with trips to Lourdes: Few miracles are dispensed," writes Roger Simon of Politico.com. "[McCain] did not get one. The clouds did not part. Heavenly choirs were not heard. Instead, the American public heard angry attacks from McCain." The Republican presidential nominee ceaselessly attacked his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama--from the direct to the sarcastic and sneering. And Obama stayed cool, not rattled by the verbal onslaught. He also stayed on message. Obama responded to McCain: "I don't mind being attacked for the next three weeks," Obama said. "What the American people can't afford is four more years of failed economic policies."
Meanwhile, CNN reports that 58 percent of those polled in a national CNN/Opinion Research Corp. who watched the third and final presidential debate say Obama is the winner, compared with 31 percent who declared McCain the victor. In addition, the poll suggests that debate watchers' favorable opinion of Obama rose slightly during the debate, from 63 percent at the start to 66 percent at the end, while McCain's favorables dropped slightly, from 51 percent to 49 percent. Sixty-six percent of debate-watchers also said that Obama more clearly expressed his views, while 25 percent said McCain was more clear about his views.
