I cannot interpret it any other way. Throughout the British press Obama is declared the winner of last night’s debate. Given the fact, that McCain would have needed a decisive, overwhelming victory, this equals with James Carville’s assessment:

Obama won the debate. Period. It wasn’t a tie. He clearly won the debate. Call the dogs in, wet the fire, the hunt’s over.

This is not saying the Obama campaign can relax their efforts, from what I’ve seen of them they surely won’t, but it should give them the leeway to stay on the issues and not stoop too much to the smear tactics employed by the McCain/Palin people.

Look at what the newspapers in Britain have to say below the fold:



The Times :

John McCain was running out of time to halt Barack Obama’s gaining momentum today after their second presidential debate ended without a “game changing” moment for the Republican who is now fighting an increasingly uphill battle to persuade voters that he can fix America’s economic crisis. (read more)

And the most distinguished William Rees-Mogg goes further when he makes the following comparison:

The Democratic candidates were Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 and Barack Obama in 2008. Neither man had qualified as an economist, both had trained as lawyers, both went to Harvard. In 1904 Roosevelt stayed on an extra year to edit the Harvard Crimson; Obama became the editor of The Harvard Law Review. Both were, or are, gifted orators, relying as politicians on an ability to communicate to the public, and move them.

The Independent:

John McCain is rapidly losing ground to Barack Obama in the opinion polls, a situation mare more perilous by the dire economic situation. Senator Obama was judged to have come out of the debate a winner on points and this was a big disappointment for the McCain campaign which needed a big win to turn tide of voter sentiment around in the last month of the race (read more)

The Telegraph:

A calm and unruffled Senator Obama, who leads by about five percentage points in national polls and is ahead in virtually all the battleground states, kept Mr McCain at arm’s length during a stilted debate in which 11 undecided voters asked the questions. (read more)

Toby Harnden finds we should relax, because “Smears are routine part of presidential elections”

The Guardian

John McCain is heading to near-certain defeat in the presidential election because American voters no longer trust Republicans on the economy, a strategist for the party warned yesterday. Steve Lombardo, who has worked on Republican campaigns since 1992 and advised McCain’s opponent, Mitt Romney, in the primaries, said it would take a major external event, such as a terrorist attack or a crippling error by Barack Obama, for McCain to make a comeback. (read more)

Lola Adesioye says:

However, McCain’s physical closeness was at odds with a disconnect revealed not only by his jokes about needing a hair transplant (which was met with silence) or the obvious disdain directed towards Obama – who he at one point addressed as “that one” – but also by his statement that members of the audience may never have heard of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before last week – highly unlikely considering that they are two of America’s largest mortgage providers. (read more)

The Economist

Overall, the night did not provide good news for the Republican. He trails in national polls and, worse, is clearly behind in crucial states such as Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire and Ohio. He needed to change the race and failed to do so. His early personal digs in the debate played poorly in the town-hall format, and he may have realised it. Once he settled down, the exchange of well-worn positions—especially as Mr Obama is more trusted on the economy—could do nothing for him. CNN’s poll showed Mr Obama winning the debate by 54% to 30%, and comfortably ahead when respondents were asked how much they liked each candidate and how they rated each man’s leadership qualities. A poll by CBS also had Mr Obama winning, by 39% to 27%. (read more)

Sarah Palin will not love this assessment, when she next reads The Economist. You betcha!

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