Reactions

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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/26/221952/675/311/611925

NBC's Athena Jones:

The longer format appears to be working for Obama, who tends to be long-winded. He hasn't been forced to give a quick answer yet.

He's on message, hitting his talking points on the contrasts with John McCain on taxes, his plans for healthcare and energy independence. He seemed to cover more ground than McCain whose main points were about cutting government spending.

For several minutes, Obama was the only one to interrupt his opponent, which seemed to be an attempt to show his willingness to fight back.

CNN's Borger:

"real challenge" for Obama, "he had some trouble on the surge answer...but I think if John McCain is supposed to be head and shoulders above Obama on foreign policy, Obama held his own."

James Antle at The American Spectator's blog:

"McCain's lack of interest in economics and monomanical focus on earmarks is putting him at a real disadvantage. He cannot rebut Obama's statist arguments by offering a mushier, less coherent version of the same."

Ben Smith at Politico:

Obama has been uneven, but he's landed the hardest punches.