LiveBlog: The Great Debate That Almost Didn't Happen
10:39 – Alright, kids. It's a madhouse in here, and I've been jammed in a corner away from the bathroom for hours. So, I gotta go do that and smoke and get idiotically drunk.
But please do keep up the conversation in the comments.
10:37 – Oh, and apparently we solved that whole POW/MIA issue. Someone should tell the bikers down the street from me.
10:36 – John McCain was in prison???!!! That's news to me!
10:33 – That's adorable. John McCain loves the vets and will take care of them. I wish I had a president who'd do that for me.
I'm so lonely.
10:29 – From the comments: "'We can't drill our way out of the problem' – That's not what she said." – (Rebekah)
10:28 – Wait, Obama hassss it too. Maybe it'ssss our sssssound ssssysssstem.
10:27 – McCain gets a little bit of a whistle in his S's when he talks about 9/11, doesn't he?
10:25 – Barack Obama is in favor of nuclear waste. Good for him.
10:24 – John McCain can say "nuclear." I think that makes him a snob.
10:22 – McCain's not wearing a flag pin. Why does he hate America? – Scout Finch
10:19 – By the way, Katie is also liveblogging this here. But make sure to tip your bartender.
10:17 – Stealing from Scout again. So, McCain's really fond of saying how he's known Kissinger for 135 years. We understand. You've been in Washington a loooooong time.
10:15 – Oh my! Here comes McCain's temper. Under your desks everyone.
10:13 – The average South Korean is three-inches tall?
10:12 – Oh no he didn't! Obama brought up Spain, girlfriend.
And then McCain pulls out the seal comment.
It's on!
10:09 – McCain is coming up with a rider of things he'll need in trailer if he's gonna meet with Iran. What do you think he'll be adding? Green M&Ms? A poster of Tina Fey?
(Credit where credit is due. I stole that from Scout.)
10:08 – McCain can't say Achmadentdslkjdkdijad's name? What's up with that?
10:07 – McCain is bold. He just came out strongly against a second holocaust. Good for him! – MK
10:03 – Iran is an existential threat to Israel. Just like Sartre.
10:01 – This whole debate has come down to who was given a more valuable piece of jewelry? And I'm hearing a lot of talk about bracelets, but neither man seems to actually be WEARING a bracelet. – MK
9:58 – "I'm such a Maverick, I voted AGAINST Reagan!" – MK
9:57 – McCain said "Ronald Reagan"! At the 57-minute mark. Someone just won a bunch of money.
9:55 – McCain promises he'll never publicly say he'd invade Pakistan. Well, unless it was through song.
9:54 – So, Barack Obama can't say we'll invade Pakistan, but Sarah Palin can? I'm sorry, but that's just sexist.
9:52 - I can't decide if they both have become better debaters since the primaries, or if they look better because I'm comparing them to each other and they are both crappy. – Michael Kraskin
9:48 – So, I'm sitting next to Katie Halper, Scout Finch and a Sarah Palin-esque-looking New York Times reporter.
Damn it! It's times like this when I wish I was attractive or charming. Or funny.
9:45 – My opinion may be greatly skewed by the crowd noises here, but from what I'm hearing (and kinda seeing) it sounds like Obama is playingcalm and McCain is playing continual catch-up.
9:44 – The crowd likes the "You like to pretend that the war started in 2007" line. Just sayin'.
9:41 – Michael Kraskin brings up and excellent point. One of the rules of this debate is that the audience is not allowed to cheer or boo or applaud or make facial expressions.
Sitting here in this room — where the audience explodes every time Obama utters an utterence — I can't even imagine what that's like.
9:40 – McCain really is obsessed with owning an Iraq Forever themepark, isn't he?
9:38 – Is John McCain really allowed to call himself a "maverick"? Isn't that like me calling myself "handsome"? That's not really my judgment call to make.
9:37 - Barack Obama said "orgy"! It's been legitimized finally!
We're all gonna get laid.
9:34 – It's interesting that Lehrer is treating this more as an open dialogue, not really directing questions to either one in particular
9:32 – Obama said "McCain calls me wildly liberal, that just means I'm opposing George Bush." Excellent line.
9:29 – I'm having a million tons of fun here, but I'm gonna have to go back and re-watchg this thing. Please tell me what my opinions should be in the comments.
9:24 – Sorry. Just got on a better internet signal. I'm back.
BTW, I love the word "festooned." Good for you, McCain.
9:15 – How many times is John McCain gonna use that "paternal issue" bear joke? What is he a stand-up comedian touring the late night talk shows?
9:12 – The crowd keeps laughing uproariously every time Jim Lehrer says anything. Oh, by the way, if I stand up and crane my neck just the right way, I can kind of see Barack Obama's ear.
9:11 – "Greed is rewarded." What is he, Gordon Gecko?
9:07 – Aw! John McCain's not feeling to well about some things these days. I wonder what those things are. The polls? His running mate? His skin?
9:06 – Ted Kennedy's in the hospital?
9:05 – I may have to watch this thing online. Crazy.
9:03 – Holy God! It's insanely crowded here at Drinking Liberally. At this point, I can't even see the TV.
And the crowd is intense! It's like being at an Eagles game. But slightly less violent.
If you're in New York — or the New York area or have access to one of John McCain's flying carpets — and you're looking for a nice quiet place to watch tonight's debate (assuming isn't called away on urgent inter-dimensional business at the last minute), then you definitely don't want to show up to Drinking Liberally's Presidential Debate Watch at The Tank in lower Manhattan (87 Lafayette St. between Walker and White).
That's where I'm gonna be liveblogging from, and I liveblog very loudly. And sometimes shirtless. And you don't wanna see that.
However, if you choose not to heed my warnings and want to come by anyway, make sure you get there by 8 pm, when a couple of excellent stand-up comedians will be warming up the crowd before the really funny stuff happens in the debate. They are…
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take off my shirt and catch an N Train.
—
Seems a little silly to be liveblogging a debate that we all already know John McCain is going to have won so handily.
But, you know, it's kind of our job. And McCain did go through all the trouble make-believe suspending his campaign and fixing all of America's money woes. So, I guess we probably should.
So, check back here tonight at 9 pm to watch the John McCain cream Barack Obama in The Great Debate That Almost Didn't Happen with us.
Because, really, we can't be any more stupid about the whole thing than Wolf Blitzer. Right?
Oh, and we'll be updating this post throughout the day with any relevant debate-related bullshit.
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Oh ya suck that big black dick, slurp, oh baby, cradle them balls. Oh that feels so good in your ass, huh.
Money shot all over you Democratic face. LOL
Democrats will take it in the ass from any one. LOL
Looks like we have a well thought out rebuttal from shampoo of the republican camp.
Bob Barr won the debate. He wasn't invited, but he offered his own commentary and stance on the issues while it ran. Suffice to say, he pointed out that all Obama and McCain offered was the same old tired Washington rhetoric with nothing of substance.
McCain showed himself to be a nasty little man. Not to mention a braggart and an attention hog.
Rude, talking down, scoffing, belittling, and condescending, McCain was patronizing and dismissive, of Obama, and the good points he raised, especially about Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Taking potshots and treating him like a boy, McCain stubbornly refused to admit that he is wrong about even going into Iran in the first place, while wagging his finger at how successful the surge was. It works both ways. If he wants Obama to admit that the surge is working, he should at least admit that we shouldn't have taken our eye off the ball in Afghanistan, to invade Iraq. He should at least admit, that he is wrong, and that the country was lied to, about Iraq being linked to our attackers, and how there were NO WMDs.
You can bet, McCain would still be "staying the course" in Iraq, and continuing to give a blank check to the tune of $400,000 a DAY in the Iraq, had Obama not raised the level of debate, and brought a timetable to the discussion.
McCain, although seemingly sharp, is still out of touch. Unable to see the serious danger Bin Laden poses, growing and festering, in Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Like an arrogant fool, McCain kept chortling to himself that he "knew" Pakistan, and he "knows" how to deal with them. Well? It's been what, how many years? Why isn't he dealing with them! Our national security depends on this. Why isn't McCain hunting down Bin Laden? Why is he even talking about spending more on war, in Georgia, when those who attacked us, are launching new, bold attacks, and killing our soldiers in undermanned bases, in Afghanistan? Why is he so dismissive and condescending about it, when Al Quada/Taliban just suicide bombed Pakistan's MAIN WEAPONS FACTORY.
Isn't the whole reason McCain doesn't want to "invade" Pakistan, is because they have nukes? What happens, when Bin Laden gets his hands, on their nukes? Does McCain really think, that Pakistan has the proper resources, to fight Al Quada? We've got a one donkey show over in Afghanistan, while we're passing out wheelbarrows full of cash on the streets of Baghdad, taxpayer dollars, while they enjoy their oil surplus.
McCain was wrong about Iraq, no matter how right he was, about the surge. He can go on and on about the surge, but the fact remains, it was a war built on lies, and the real front on terror, is in Afghanistan.
How dare McCain dismiss Obama's concerns about that, and thank God Obama is discussing this. I think, because of Obama, the issue of Iraq has been dealt with, and they've taken that edge he had, away from him, by actually reversing the "stay the course" BS, and moving towards "ending" the war in Iraq. I also think, because of Obama, the level of the debate has been raised, and it's not the 2004 election, where people were too afraid to speak out against the war.
Unlike McCain's canned rhetoric, Obama is real, and he can take on John McCain, who is arrogant, rash and dismissive, of vital national security concerns, like the trouble with Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
He can throw around the word "Waziristan" all he wants, but the fact remains, if he had a clue about what to do about Al Quada, he'd be bombing the hell out of those caves, these past 6 years, not grubbing for oil royalties, in Iraq.
There's no "victory" to be won there, we gotta fix what we broke, and get the hell out. There will always be fighting in between those tribes, in Iraq. Let our proud soldiers go where they're most needed to protect us, from our attackers, and do what many of them enlisted to do. Get Osama. Vote Obama.
By the way, it's only 1500 days till the 2012 election!
I'm tired of the whole thought that only Republicans love this country.
Enough of the wedge issues. We need someone who can talk about things besides those divisive issues.
Where is the Republican party of Jack Danforth? Too bad it isn't around any more.
It was "McCain's Greatest Hits" but he ran out of material an hour in. He might have to prepare for next debate.
Drinking Liberally : what a great name for a bar !
I hope they don't let McCain bear arms at this thing. He looked like he was one jab away from going Brinkley on Obama's ass.
Obama nailed McCain on his stupidity regarding Iraq.
Another good moment was when Obama talked about his bracelet and said no soldier dies in vain and that the mother had asked him not to let any more mothers go through what she was going through.
But one thing that bothered me was that Obama should have responded to McCain's comment, "We're gonna wipe Israel off the map. What are you going to say, no you're not?" (chuckle) by saying "John, stop trivializing the power of diplomacy." That would have shut him up.
P.S. I applaud Obama for showing McCain some respect by agreeing with him on some things, saying he's "right", even though McCain was being such a jerk and would not even look at Obama the whole time. That takes a lot of class. Oh, and isn't that something Presidents should have?