One of the most interesting elements of the Friday night Presidential debate was the focus group lines that were colored for Republican, Democrat and Independents. These lines showed how real Americans (not political pundits) felt about what was being said during the debate.

Barack Obama did have an edge with the focus groups to be certain, especially noticeable during the final minutes.

But what was perhaps the most shocking reaction: When Republican John McCain made mention of his "Maverick" partner, without saying Sarah Palin's name outright, the focus group lines dipped dramatically.

Has the Sarah Palin love fest ended already?

Much of the lines stayed flat throughout but McCain's discussion related to the Iraq war did little to stimulate the focus groups.

As for the prediction markets, McCain appears to have improved his standing following the debate.

Prior to the start, McCain was listed with a 43.9 percent chance of becoming the next US President. He moved up to 47.2 percent immediately following the debate while Obama dropped from 55.7 percent to 53.6 percent. (all courtesy of intrade.com )

The first 30 minutes of the debate focused on the economy, even though the debate was supposed to be centered on foreign policy. The economy has dominated the campaign trail for the past two weeks.

Obama refused to be pinned down on whether he would support a $700 billion plan proposed by President Bush's top economic advisers, saying the final details of the proposal were not yet known.

McCain said he hoped to be able to vote for it and the focus group lines dropped noticeably.

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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher