[Xantar]

Sorry Strangler, I'll have to disappoint you. My feeling on the debate is more or less the same as yours: most of us here have already made up our minds and it's just a question of who appeals most to "undecided" voters with this debate.

According to the polls, most of the "undecided" voters thought Obama won the debate and they ended up liking him more than McCain. I honestly don't understand why because I think if this had been judged point by point like in a college debate club, it would have been basically even (I agree with Obama's positions, but that doesn't mean I think he argued for them more effectively than McCain).

From all the various polls I've seen, it appears that undecided voters basically made their decision at an emotional level. In other words, Obama won because he smiled more while McCain refused to even look at him. It's an utterly stupid way to evaluate a political candidate, but that's the American electorate for you.

It's also worth noting that the CNN audience reaction gauge dipped for whichever candidate went on the attack at that particular moment regardless of which one it was. When McCain went on the attack, viewers thought less favorably of him while still maintaining a favorable view of Obama. When Obama went on the attack, he experienced a similar dip in favorability. So maybe they think Obama won just because he attacked less.

Not that any of it matters. Historically, debates have done nothing to affect presidential races except solidify support. They do nothing to sway swing voters more than one or two percent in either direction.