when both candidates start going on about their prescience about our current economic troubles, I make obscene noises at my radio.  Listening to McCain and Obama be all self-congratulatory re their letter writing skills.   "I knew what was happening!  I wrote a letter!  Let me show you my letter!  I took a picture of myself with the newspaper on that date to prove that it was me then!"

Oops.

Would we commit military to defend Israel if Iran attacked?

McC: we wouldn't wait for UN, other countries would block. Iran must not get nuclear weapons. Ahmedinejad says Israel a stinking corpse. Obama would meet with him without conditions. Tough sanctions with our friends. League of Democracies? Who is he, Woodrow Wilson? We're going to end run the UN with a league of just our friends? No Holocaust.

BO: nukes in Iran unacceptable. Never take military options off the table. Israel our best ally in MidEast, one of our best in the world. Must work more effectively wiht other countries, reduce energy consumsption so Iran has less money and influence.  Put the squeeze on them. We should have direct talks not just with friends but with enemies. To make direct point that if no change in behavior, sanctions. If you do, you rejoin community of nations. It helped in North Korea. Bush stops talking to Iran, now many centrifuges.

Brokaw notes that a lot has changed since last debate. World has changed. Coin flip says Obama talks first.

With the economy on downturn, seniors losing income and investment, what is fastest way to bailout us out?

BO: Worst financial crisis in years. Worried about your jobs, retirements, college. I believe this is a final verdict on the failed policies of Bush, supported by McCain. De-regulate, prosperity rains down on us. We need to take action. First: Rescue package of last week: strong oversight. AIG execs went on junket one week after bailout. Second: middle class needs bailout. Tax cuts. Infrastructure, create jobs, health care, energy independence, help middle class not those who can afford to hire lobbyists.

McCain: Americans angry and upset. Our job is to fix it. Energy independence. Tax cuts for ALL Americans. Huge debt on younger people. Cut spending. "This problem has become so severe that we have to do something about home values. Declining values, I would order SecTreasury to buy up bad mortgages and and force renegotiate mortgages. Until we fix mortgage crisis, we will never fix economy. I know how to get economy. My proposal, not Obama's, not Bush's. I know how to fix economy, my friends. DRINK.

Brokaw: who would you appoint to run this?

McCain: Not you Tom. (Has Tom fallen out of the tank.)

McCain: Buffet, Meg Whitman. (Does he know she just cut 10k jobs at eBay.) Problem is greed, excess, corruption.

BO: No, but we have to set up a better regulatory system, 20th Century regs for 21st Century market. Have to help people stay in their homes. Change culture in Washington so that lobbyists aren't in control.

BO: understand your frustration. If you make less money, you make cuts in spending, you act responsibility. That doesnt' happen in Washington. And there is responsiblity all around. But remember, Bush had surplus, now enormous deficit. Debt has increased. No one is completely innocent, but we've had biggest deficit spending. McCain voted for 4 out of 5 budgets from Bush. I want to spend money in key areas. [cramp in my hand] Obama is cutting more than I am spending. Net spending cut. Priorities will work for you, not those who are dictating the agenda now, lobbyists.

McC: we can do all three. We have to cut entitlements, we will have to cut benefits that people have had. Bipartisan agreement, I know how to bipartisan, build new nookleeeur plants, we can do everything! $700 billion spent overseas ends up with terrorists. Health care, people are struggling, need to be affordable. All three at once.

Obama: we are going to have to prioritize just like families do. Energy we have to deal with today. Prices are hi and could go up. Bad for family budget and bad for national security. We have to deal with that right away. $15 billion a year for ten years, in ten years we are free. When JFK said go to the moon in 10 years, we didn't know how, but we knew we would find a way. Health care -- bad for families, bad for businesses struggling to be competitive. McCain talks about records, and earmarks. I will go through every agency, make approrpriate cuts. But we also have to figure out what our taxes are paying for. McCain wants $4billino in tax cuts to rich and corporations, that's money out of the system.

Honestly, Obama is extremely telegenic.  His eye contact is fantastic, and he rises smoothly from his chair in expectation of the next question.  He seems to be listening to McCain (bipartisan points!!)  McCain in comparison seems miserly.  

McC: we will have to elminate programs that aren't working. He said something about benefits too. Defense spending. Corrupt contracts. Have to eliminate earmarks, some are really good projects but will have to be eliminated and be subjected to scrutiny. Spending freeze, except for defense, veterans affairs and ????, we must have freeze. (Hmm, SS, Medicare, etc.) Full transparency. Earmarks. DRINK. We can do all three at once. I am not going to tell people health insurance will have to wait. [Obama didn't say we'd wait.]

BO: starts in Washington, if we keep creating larger and larger deficits, we encourage others to do so too. It involves cutting spending, but it also involves other thinks, like tax cuts that would give $700k in tax cuts to a corporate CEO, that is not sharing the burden. People here feel that everyone is not sharing burden. How to tell teacher who makes $40k to tighten her belt when others living high on the hog. Although we have to cut spending, freeze is using a hatchet instead of a scalpel. It's regressive.

McC: Obama tax proposals are like jello, can't pin to the wall. He will raise taxes. Last president who raised taxes in bad times was Hoover. [WHAT ABOUT CLINTON?] Obama would raise taxes on 50% of small businesses, lose jobs. I will not give tax cuts to wealthy. Double tax exemptions, lets create jobs, let's not raise anyone's taxes.

BO: can I respond? Tax issue. Brokaw says next question will deal with this. Question is about entitlements, Social Security? Brokaw adds his own question, would you give Congress a date certain in 2 years to fix SS and Medicare? WELL THAT'S A LOADED QUESTION.

BO: we are going to have to take it on, maybe not in 2 years, but by end of first term. Can't deal with entitlements without understanding tax policies. I want to provide a tax cut for 95% of Americans. If you make less than $250k, no increase, tax will go down. Only a few % of small businesses make more than $250k, so they would get tax cut too. And they get a tax credit to provide insurance for employees. $200 billion to largest corporations to get big cutes. $100 Billion to CEOs and other super rich. If we change existing tax policy that McC supported, we will have health care and stable entitlements.

McC: we can't hand our grandchildren a damaged planet. Lieberman DRINK! and I introduced first legislation. We lost but we kept this issue alive. Nuclear power. Obama says it has to be safe, but whatever, I was on a Navy ship and its safe and its clean. REMINDER HE WAS A POW?  Obama has opposed that, we can develop green tech, blah blah blah.

BO: this is one of the biggest challenges of our times. It is absolutely critical we recognize it is not just a challenge, it is an opportunity. Engine that drives us into the future. We can do it, but we must make an investment. National security issue. Solar, wind, geothermal, I favor nuclear power as one component of our overall energy mix. McC and I agree on something. Polticians haven't done anything in 30 years. But he has been there for 26, voted 23 times against alternative fuels. McC talks a lot about drilling, but we have 3% of reserves and use 25% of use. Can't drill out of problem, can't use more fossil fuels that create more global warning. Gov't needs to work with private sector to develop tech that we can export to other countries.

Katie Ann gets her question: should US respect Pakistani sovereignty, or should it pursue terorists over borders?

BO: nobody called for the invasion of Pakistan. What I said was if Pakistan is unwilling or unable to take out OBL, we should.

McC says I'm green around the ears, he is somber and sober -- he sings bomb bomb bomb Iran, called for annihilation of North Korea. Barely finished in Afghanistan, let's go to Iraq! This isn't good judgment.

Russia is evil empire? BO, they have engaged in evil behavior. McC: I can't say yes or no, because if I say yes, I am telegraphing, if no, I am tolerating evil behavior.