The Maroon Tiger

Edward Mitchell

Throughout the debate, Obama repeatedly found himself on the defensive, responding to attacks from McCain on his opposition to the Iraq surge, his willingness to meet with foreign leaders such as the president of Iran, and his alleged support for congressional earmarks. Obama also did something he may find himself regretting later-he often started his responses by saying "John is right" or "I agree with John." The McCain campaign has already edited together a YouTube video of those complimentary Obama remarks.

Still, in a debate with a war hero who has served in Congress for 30 years, Obama held his own. He avoided making any gross errors or gaffes that could have endangered his candidacy.

McCain, meanwhile, stressed his foreign policy knowledge and his opposition to excessive government spending, even once referring to himself as a "maverick." He used most of his remarks to criticize Obama's lack of experience, and even forcefully defended the Iraq War, an issue that would seem to be stacked against the Republican senator.

By the end of the debate, both men got in jabs at the each other's expense, but no one struck a fatal blow. In the coming days, polling may reveal that Americans view one of the two candidates as a clear winner or that the debate was a tie.

Edward Mitchell is editor in chief of The Maroon Tiger, the Morehouse College student newspaper, which originally published this article.

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