McCain's VP Pick

[VRM]

Originally Posted by 427 S/O

Steve, what exactly is 'O'NO!'s favoured format?. I don't recall McCain being afraid of anything, anywhere, any time.

IMHO, Obama is the better orator (giving a prepared speech in front of a large crowd), as he knows how to get a crowd involved.

As far as debates go;
Obama will be better at a moderated debate where he can use stats better than McCain, and not have to deal with hostile crowd responses to his answers.

McCain has a sharper sense of humour that is not as effective in a structured debate as a town hall meeting.

My prediction is that Obama will win the majority of structured debates, and will cause McCain to lose his temper in one of them.

I think they should do an equal number of town halls, and structured debates. I would love to see them tear into each other and finally expose the crap that both sides have been dishing out.

[Don]

Source: USA Today Editorial Monday Sept 15th:

" What next for Palin?

So now that Sarah Palin has done her first extensive national TV interview, how much more do we know about her? Not all that much.

Watching the Republican vice presidential nominee's performance was a bit like watching a gymnast navigate the balance beam. Under persistent questioning by ABC's Charlie Gibson, Palin teetered at times but never fell to the mat.

As expected for a candidate new to the national stage, she showed no particular savvy or insight on many of the issues Gibson probed. And, as many reviews have noted, her responses often came across as limited and rehearsed, particularly on foreign policy questions.

One might hope for more from someone who could potentially be president of the United States in a few months. But sound-bite responses are the norm for many candidates, and if Palin didn't turn in an Olympian performance, she nevertheless showed herself to be unflappable and made her points clearly.

The guess here is that few voters' minds were changed. Her supporters will cheer her personal qualities and positions they support; her opponents will focus on her inexperience and issues they oppose. The more important question is, now what?

Will the McCain campaign carefully script her appearances and limit access to her, or will it allow her to engage in the kind of free-wheeling give-and-take with reporters that McCain used to build his reputation?

There might be no better measure of her readiness for office than that judgment. Dribbling her access out in a controlled fashion invites the question that if McCain can't trust her enough to expose her to the rough-and-tumble news media exposure that running mates normally receive, how can Americans trust her?

To expect journalists to treat her with "deference," as one McCain aide absurdly demanded, is to misunderstand not just the role of a free press but also the American character.

Candidates are supposed to be tested and to weather the invasive vetting process — not just campaign in a bubble, protected by squadrons of spin meisters.

The focus of the campaign should soon begin shifting back to where it belongs: onto McCain and Barack Obama (remember them?). But in the 50 days remaining before the election, Palin plainly needs to be challenged further. She passed her first test, but there's plenty of room to improve her grades. "

[Don]

Applies to all four candidates: Obama, Biden, McCain Palin:

Parade Magazine, Sunday Sept 14th: The Secret's of America's Great Presidents

Source: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Author of " Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Pulitzer Prize for her book Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt

" Focusing on the qualities that have made some of our leaders exceptional provides a better perspective on our current candidates than what's often reported-mistaken words, glib replies, fundraising capabilities and TV ads. "

Doris Kearns Goodwin has identified 10 attributes that distinguish truly great Presidents taking Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt as guides. How would you rate each of the candidates with the following criteria.

The courage to stay strong

Self-confidence

An ability to learn from errors

Emotional Intelligence

Self-control

A popular-touch

A moral compass

A capacity to relax

A gift for inspiring others


http://www.parade.com/hot-topics/200...eat-presidents