McCain vs. Obama: Debate prep

Posted: Monday, September 22, 2008 9:28 AM by Domenico Montanaro

You gotta love the Washington Times lead about Obama's debate prep. Biased much? "Obama will hunker down nearly all week to prepare for the most crucial 90 minutes of his political life - the first presidential debate - and has chosen a famous Washington lawyer who defended the would-be assassin of President Reagan to play Sen. John McCain in preparations."

More: "Obama will hole up in Tampa, Fla., where veteran lawyer Greg Craig will play the role of Mr. McCain in practice sessions. Mr. Craig was a member of President Clinton's defense team during Senate impeachment proceedings after the president lied about his sexual affair with a White House intern."

McCain is sparring with Maryland Republican Michael Steele for his debate prep, the Wall Street Journal reports. (Is Steele known for his debating skills?) "Obama advisers, for example, are considering how to provoke Sen. McCain into anger or showing what they say is how out of touch, or old, he is. Advisers have told Sen. McCain to watch out when Sen. Obama uses the phrase, ‘As I've said before...’ One McCain adviser said it is used ‘when Obama actually changes his position, to pretend it's what he's always said.’”

More: "Preparing Sen. Obama is Ron Klain, who assisted Sen. John Kerry and Vice President Al Gore in the debates during their failed presidential bids. Mr. Klain was played by Kevin Spacey in the movie ‘Recount,’ about the 2000 Florida vote debacle.

”The McCain campaign has hired Brett O'Donnell, the debate coach who led Jerry Falwell's Liberty University to several national debate championships. He has critiqued all of Sen. McCain's debates, as well as those of Sen. Obama. His advice to Sen. McCain: stand up. Mr. O'Donnell told the campaign that Sen. McCain had his worst debates when he was seated. ‘Proximity can be a problem for McCain,’ one adviser said. ‘He'll take the bait and get sucked into fights.’”

Interestingly, Obama is doing his debate prep in a swing state (or according to our map, a lean McCain state). Obama is holing up in Florida.

The AP profiles Gwen Ifill and her preparation for the Biden-Palin VP debate. "The Oct. 2 showdown between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin will likely put Gwen Ifill before the biggest TV audience of her life. Given the extraordinary attention paid to the campaign and Palin's surprise selection as John McCain's running mate, it stands a strong chance of becoming the most-watched vice presidential debate ever. The standard was the 56.7 million viewers in 1984, when Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman ever selected for a major party ticket."

"Barack Obama and John McCain ended August with about an equal amount of money in the bank -- $95 million and $94 million, respectively. But McCain gets an additional $84 million this month because he agreed to accept public campaign financing and the spending limitations that go with it." (Check out the photo of the giant "lipstick" Sarah Palin's holding up.)

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Comments

McCain will do well in the debates. He knows what he stands for and how to get things done. Obama is a better speaker, but substance over oratory will win every time.

sharon (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 11:58 AM)

I cannot wait until the debates, I just would like to see Obama drive home the point that we are wasting billions of dollars in Iraq for no reason. We should be rebuilding America home of the free not Iraq home of the people who should have fought for their own freedom but failed to do so. McCain I believe will have some tricks up his sleeve but all Obama needs to do is stick to his guns and don't flip-flop and he will kick McCain's outdated butt!
OBAMA/BIDEN 08/12

Front Line, Denver, CO (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:06 PM)

What's John doing in preparation? Yelling at clouds?

It's not so much "yelling at" as just keeping things orderly (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:06 PM)

How Moon and the moonies keep their religious tax exemption in the US has always puzzled me. They own the Washington Times and a worldwide empire of for-profit businesses including munitions factories. Their goal is a one-government religious state with Moon as the head. They believe the Republican party is a tool to that goal and have always supported the party and been biased politically against the Democrats. The Republican party appears to return the favor. A few years ago, in a ceremony in the Senate Dirksen Office Building, Moon was crowned "king of the world" with several prominent Republicans in attendance.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA.), Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.)
http://marc.perkel.com/2004/06/11/syung-mung-moon-crowned-king-in-us-senate-building/

Your tax dollars at work supporting end of our system of government.

nuanced (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:07 PM)

The point for Obama is that he should make is his answers not too short or long, but they do need to be clear. There needs to be a sharp contrast made between the two. Obama needs to cement the links bewteen Bush and McCain.

McCain needs to sound... Well, less old and tired. He does need to know the facts and not mess them up.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:08 PM)

You people are just plain dumb. Obama is just playing the Black-person card and McCain is playing the "female" card... They both suck. Its not about politics with them. Its about, who has the better sob story? Obama is black, McCain was a prisoner of war... blah blah blah. Fuck them both. Ron Paul for 08!

Clint Williamson, San Antonio, Texas (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:10 PM)

Sad. In a country that has gone through "The Great Sort" even media outlets have "encamped".
I am hoping for an Obama Landslide. The country cannot survive many more years of 51/49 majorities from either party.
If this continues where will we be as a nation in 50 or even 25 years?
Are we seeing the early manifestations of profound differences in ideologies that will turn this "sorted" nation into two camps that want nothing to do with each other?
What will be the ultimate expression of that sentiment?

Gary Schear, bozeman Montana (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:13 PM)

McCain's campaign manager was paid hundreds of millions to lobby for deregulation of the Investment banks. How can anyone trust Republicans with the economy? Or national defense? Or family values? Or competent government?

The madness has to end.
Bush\McCain No More Years.
01/20/09 End of an Error!

thebob.bob, Portland, OR (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:20 PM)

I hope the MSM actually covers the substance of the debate, instead of just counting who got in the most zingers.

Patrick (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:22 PM)

3 days prepping out of the next 5 ...pretty much all week.

MSNBC First Read: factual much?

Dick Wilbur, Charlotte, NC (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:28 PM)

How can you tell when McCain is lying? Every time he opens his mouth!!!!

Gail Smith (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:31 PM)

think McCain is losing some of his cognitive ability. His operatvies are obviously asking him to be someone he isn't. I don't think the old John McCain would have given such an awful speech as he did at the convention. Ten years ago he wouldn't have stood before an audience an announced, "I know how to it." It sounded like a two-year old wanting to start dad's lawn mower.

Picking Palin was a terrible mistake. You pick someone who has clearly shown they have the intellect to lead the free world. Even George Will is shaking his head. Here again, ten years ago I can't imagine McCain making such a bad choice. That's why I think it comes down to some loss of cognitive ability. In any case, we should be watching the debates very closely. There's nothing wrong or disrespectful in considering his age and the possibility that his mental capacity is diminished.

Tim, Hendersonville, TN (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:31 PM)

Obama will do fine against the flip-flopping old guy McCain, who has dementia. Obama is educated and has no problems learning, but with McCain you can't teach an old dog new tricks. He does not learn. He is the worst presidential candidate and will make an even worse president than Bush. It is a very scary thought to have him (McCain) running our beautiful country and driving it into the ground even further then it is from Bush.

Bob, Oregon (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:37 PM)

let someone take over now let bush go obama all the way baby

jessica w, btown, mo (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:50 PM)

obama will actually do something of our country what has the rep. done besides take money from the ones that need it atleast obama is going to help us obama all the way

jessica w, btown, mo (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:52 PM)

Obama is best for America-
Good advice for our guy. You have a good understanding of both candidates, Obama is smart and McCain is a dottering ole fool, that is all the American public needs to see. As we cant get many facts from the media we can only hope the debate narators ask the right questions, and if they dont
what the h--- happens then.

Obama/Biden
marty

marty holloman,columbia,s.c. (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 12:56 PM)

Let's not underestimate the McCain camp, they are really good at putting up smoke screens and making things seem what they aren't.They lie and they McCain is a poser, McCain is good at making the American people think that he really cares about how we are suffering when he has no clue wel with 13 cars 9 homes he is so far removed from how we are being affected by this economy it's laughable.But sadly enough no matter how bad he does with this debate the media especially CNN will make excuses for Mc Cain. The more I watch the media pull Mc Cain and Palin out of the fire's the more sickening this election gets. This country is not beyond it's biased views of blacks even the media is biased toward Mc Cain and he know's it. The nerve of the Hispanic voters thinking they are better than African Americans who were bought here against their will and they look down their noses at them when most Hispanics are in this country illegally. White America has come a long way and I respect them for that but when another race comes to this country harboring racism it sets us back 300 years and we won't allow them to do this to OUR country
( Blacks & Whites collectively).

Smart1, Baltimore,Md (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 1:16 PM)

Pat must mean debates biased towards one candidate like the 21st Debate (Gibson/Stephanopoulis) in the Dem. Primary and the Saddleback (Rick Warren)debacle where McCain was in the "Cone of Silence".

Not this time! (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 1:18 PM)

Soooo glad Charles Gibson isn't moderating the debate. Don't need another bunch of trick questions.

NOBO (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 1:19 PM)

McSame will spend his answers trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear, so to speak. "Issues, what issues?!?" Obama was mean to Miss Piggy!! I can't wait for McPalin to go home so we can start to put our country back together. Anyone paying attention to the last few days of Bush Economic Strategy?

Oliver M., Portland, Oregon (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 1:20 PM)

Obama's answer to the Surge: If the surge worked, why aren't the troops home? Why did you walk around in a bullet proof vest when you were in Iraq and state that anyone could walk around. Has the troop level dropped? What is your definition of winning? Were we in Viet Nam long enough until we lost?

Joyce H (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 1:37 PM)

Joyce H, Highland Park IL (Sent Monday, September 22, 2008 1:37 PM)

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