McCain won. Obama spent far to much of his time being defensive, and stammering, and leaning on pharses like ‘since the great depression’. Add to that, the meme that Obama’s been pushing, along with the leftie blogs, all week as regards McCain being afraid to debate the Anointed One; Clearly, if the exchanges of tonight are of any indication, there was nothing to be afraid of from Obama. So, the aire of Obama’s inevitability takes yet another hit, possibly a fatal one, given time.
That said, there was no single event during this debate that will be on the reels for the next few cycles… the kind that will change this race. Then again, first debates aren’t really known for such major happenings, either. One thing that may end up in the public eye for a while is the number of times Obama told everyone that McCain is correct, and that they agree on such and such. I doubt such things are going to make much difference among independents, and for Republicans it’ll end up being naught but a snicker point. But from the Democrat party base, I suspect Obama will be taking some heat.