First Presidential Debate Reviewed

For John, BLUF:  Obama supporters want to deny that Romney was great at the first debate, so they are saying Obama was off his game.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

Blogger Ann Althouse woke up this morning and watched the first Presidential Debate again.  Her conclusion was that President Obama did OK.

Checking my observations on second viewing, looking to see what all the commentators claim to have seen, my experience was the same.  Obama's performance was surely defensible.  He didn't hem and haw or pause or look sleepy.  He drifted from topic to topic too much and absurdly returned to schools too many times, but it seemed to me he had chosen a strategy, which was to be a decent, thoughtful, moderate guy, perhaps because it would appeal to women (like me) and to moderate undecideds (like me).

I understand.  Reminiscent of the first Kennedy/Nixon debate, I was listening to the debate while checking my EMail.  I thought the President did OK.  My wife didn't.  But, back in 1960 she had been head down, taking notes for a report she was tasked to write on the debate.  She thought Nixon had won.

So, what happened this year?  Professor Althouse concludes:

The meme The Bad Obama was — colluding pundits decided — preferable to The Great Romney.

Regards  —  Cliff