TIME: Mark Halperin’s grades:
Obama: B+
McCain: B
 
NBC (Shrum) 9:43 PM: "I think he won a win tonight, Barack Obama. Because I think the big headline of this debate is that people across the country more and more comfortable with the idea of President Obama. He projects a sense of calmness and strength that kind of grace under pressure that people prize in a president."
 
MSNBC (Fineman) 11:10 PM: "Another good moment for Obama was when Obama basically took control of the foreign policy debate toward the end there."

FOX News (Luntz)10:43 PM: “We seem to be getting winners out of this. Obama did better overall."

CNN (Hillary Rosen): I am fixated on the dial line at the bottom of the screen on CNN. Women are responding very enthusiastically to Obama. And women have been the larger part of the undecided vote in the battleground states. They like his specificity on tax cuts, the budget, education and energy. And now the environment has just sent both men and women to the top line. McCain only gets to the top line with either men or women when he is positive. Each time he criticizes Obama, the line flattens.

Washington Post (Eugene Robinson): I think most viewers will decide that Obama won the debate, if only because he seemed more presidential and he represents a party other than George W. Bush’s. These encounters, I believe, are fundamentally unkind to John McCain.

Talking Points Memo: “Clear, even decisive win for Obama tonight.”  The debate's relatively low-key tone, combined with a series of exchanges that Obama won by at minimum a marginal amount, translate into a clear, even decisive win for Obama tonight. There's no point in mincing words: Time is running out for McCain.  As multiple observers have pointed out, McCain needed to jar the electorate into seeing this race in a new way. It isn't even clear if McCain even tried to do this tonight -- there was no moment where he appeared to make an aggressive bid to take down Obama or grab the initiative. 

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Fact Check: McCain on Iran

Tonight, Barack Obama said: “Senator McCain, this is the guy who sang bomb, bomb, bomb Iran."

THE FACTS:  McCain has been reckless in His approach to Iran.

Fact Check: McCain Ignored Afghanistan

Tonight, Barack Obama said: “This is the person who after we had -- we hadn't even finished Afghanistan where he said, next up Baghdad.”

THE FACTS: John McCain has ignored the threat in Afghanistan and thinks Iraq is the central front in the war on terror.

Fact Check: Obama on the Surge in Iraq

Tonight, John McCain said: “He still will not admit he was wrong about the strategy of the surge in Iraq, and that is the same kind of strategy of go out and secure and hold and allow people to live normal lives.”

THE FACTS:  Obama has repeatedly said the surge could help reduce violence in Iraq.

Fact Check: Obama on Diplomacy

Tonight, John McCain said: “Now, Senator Obama without precondition wants to sit down and negotiate with them, without preconditions.”

THE FACTS:  Obama supports responsible diplomatic engagement with hostile nations. 

Fact Check: McCain on Bin Ladin

Tonight, Barack Obama Said McCain Didn’t Think Catching Osama Bin Laden Was That Important.

THE FACTS: McCain said capturing Bin Ladin isn't "that important" and that we had suceeded in Afghanistan.

Fact Check: McCain on Funding Troops in Somalia

Tonight, John McCain said: “We went into Somalia as a peace making organization, we ended up trying to be, excuse me -- excuse me, as a peacekeeping organization.  We ended up trying to be peacemakers, and we ended up having to withdraw in humiliation.” 

THE FACTS:  McCain introduced legislation cutting off funding for troops in Somalia.

Fact Check: On Pakistan

Tonight, John McCain accused Barack Obama of announcing publicly that he would attack Pakistan.

THE FACTS: If we have actionable intelligent about high-value terrorist targets and Pakistan won't act, we will.

To get the facts from the debate, visit therecord.barackobama.com, where you can get cites and sources for all the information you've heard tonight.

And to learn more about JohnMcCain's record on these issues, visit JohnMcCainRecord.com. 

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FOX News focus group: Obama
CNN focus group: Obama

CNN Poll:

Who won the debate?
Obama: 54%
McCain: 30%

CBS Poll: Uncommitted Voters Say Obama Won Debate

Who won the debate?
Obama: 39%
McCain: 27%

CBS News and Knowledge Networks have, once again, conducted a nationally representative poll of uncommitted voters to get their immediate reaction to tonight's presidential debate.

And this new poll has good news for the Democratic ticket: Just as in the first presidential debate and the vice presidential face off, more uncommitted voters say the Democratic candidate won the debate.

9 percent of the uncommitted voters surveyed identified Barack Obama as tonight's winner; 27 percent said John McCain won, while 35 percent saw the debate as a draw.

After the debate, 68 percent of uncommitted voters said that they think Obama will make the right decisions on the economy, compared to 54 percent who said that before the debate. Fewer thought McCain would do so – 49 percent after the debate, and 41 percent before.

Before the debate, 60 percent thought Obama understands voters’ needs and problems; that rose to 80 percent after the debate. For McCain, 35 percent felt he understands voters’ needs before the debate, and 46 percent thought so afterwards.

Before the debate, 42 percent thought Obama was prepared for the job of president. That percentage rose to 57 percent after the debate. For McCain, 80 percent felt he was prepared for the job before the debate, and 84 percent thought so afterwards.

We will have a full report on the poll later on. Uncommitted voters are those who don't yet know who they will vote for, or who have chosen a candidate but may still change their minds.

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Barack won the coin toss and took the first question of the night,  on the economy and the best way to help not just Wall Street, but Main Street as well:

Earlier today ABC News reported that, less than a week after the federal government committed $85 billion to bail out AIG, executives of the giant insurance company headed for a week-long retreat at a luxury resort and spa.

In response, Barack urged that the AIG be required to refund the money spent on the vacation and that the AIG executives be fired.

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Fact Check on McCain's Response to Fannie and Freddie:

Tonight, John McCain said: “But we all know, my friends, until we stabilize home values in America, we are never going to start turning around and creating jobs and fixing our economy, and we have got to give some trust and confidence back to America.  I know how to do that, my friends, and it is my proposal, it is not Senator  Obama's proposal, it is not President Bush's  proposal, but I know how to get  America working again, restore our economy, and take care of working Americans. “

THE FACTS: John McCain is a "latecomer to the debate" over reforming Fannie and Freddie and he admitted that he did not anticipate the housing crisis. 

Fact Check on Fannie and Freddie's Influence:

Tonight Sen. McCain said, “One of the real catalysts, really the match that lit this fire was Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I'll bet you may never even have heard of them before this crisis, but you know, they're the ones that with the encouragement of Senator Obama and his cronies and his friends in Washington that went out and made all these risky loans, gave them to people that never could afford to pay back. [...] they were getting all kinds of money and campaign contributions. Senator Obama was the second highest recipient of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac money in history, in history.

THE FACTS: Franklin Raines was not an advisor and Johnson advised the campaign for less than a month. McCain campaign manager’s firm was -- as recently as a month ago -- still being paid by Freddie Mac.

Learn the facts at therecord.barackobama.com/debate and check the facts at JohnMcCainRecord.com.

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Fact Check: The Subprime Lending Crisis:

Tonight, Barack Obama said: “Two years ago, I said that we have got a subprime lending crisis that has to be dealt with. I wrote to Secretary Paulson, I wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke, and told them this is something we have to deal with, and nobody did anything about it. A year ago I went to Wall Street and said, we have got to reregulate, and nothing happened.”

THE FACTS: Obama has repeatedly called for financial market reform.

Fact Check: Healthcare

Tonight, John McCain said:  “As far as health care is concerned, obviously everyone is struggling to make sure that they can afford their premiums and that they can have affordable and available health care.  That's the next issue. We can do them all at once.  We have to do them all at once, all three you mentioned are compelling national security requirements.“

THE FACTS: McCain’s plan will raise health care taxes, lead to less coverage.

Fact Check: Earmarks

Tonight Sen. McCain said, “He voted for nearly a billion dollars in pork barrel earmark projects, including, by the way, three million dollars for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois."

THE FACTS: Obama Has Led On Earmark Reform. McCain Has Voted For Billions In Earmarks And Requested Earmarks.

Follow along with the debate at therecord.barackobama.com, and check JohnMcCainRecord.com to learn more. 

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Fact Check on Senator Biden's Record:

Tonight, the McCain campaign said, “Barack Obama just blamed the very same bill that Joe Biden supported for the current economic crisis.”

FACT: Biden Is Committed To 21st Century Regulatory System And Transparency, Voted For Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Fact Check on Spending Proposals:

FACT: John McCain's spending proposals don't add up are far more costly then Obama's plans

Fact Check on Small Businesses:

Tonight, John McCain said: “300,000 jobs have been created by small businesses.  Senator Obama's secret that you don't know is that his tax increases will increase taxes on 50 percent of small business revenue.”

FACT:  Obama’s Tax  Plan Would Not Raise Taxes on Most Small Businesses

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Barack addressed the frustration and cynicism that many people feel right now towards Washington, the failures of the last eight years, and the importance of shifting priorities to put the middle class first:

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When asked what sacrifices he would ask every American to make to ease the economic crisis, Barack responded:

A lot of you remember the tragedy of 9-11, and where you were on that day, and how all of the country was ready to come together and make enormous changes to make us not only safer, but to make us a better country and a more unified country. President Bush did some smart things at the outset, but one of the opportunities that was missed was when he spoke to the American people, he said, "Go out and shop."

That wasn't the kind of call to service that I think the American people were looking for, and so it's important to understand that I think the American people are hungry for the kind of leadership that is going to tackle these problems not just in government but outside of government.

Barack also discussed his national service plan, creating "a volunteer corps all across this country that can be involved in the community... so that military families and our troops are not the only ones bearing the burden of renewing America."

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Fact Check: Taxes

Tonight, John McCain said: “So let's not raise anybody's taxes, my friends, and make it be very clear to you, I am not in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy.“

THE FACTS: John McCain has changed his position on the Bush tax cuts that he once said were too tilted to the wealthy.

Fact Check: On Energy Use

Tonight, Barack Obama said: “There is going to be the need for each and every one of us to start thinking about how we use energy. I believe in the need for increased oil production. We are going to have to explore ways to get more oil, and that includes offshore drilling, it includes telling the oil companies that currently have 68 million acres that they are not using that either you use them or you lose them. We are going to have to develop clean coal technology and safe ways to store nuclear energy, but each and every one of us can start thinking about how can we save energy in our homes, in our buildings. One of the things I want to do is make sure that we are providing incentives so that you can buy a fuel efficient car that is made right here in the United States of America, not in Japan or South Korea, making sure that you are able to weatherize your home or make your business more fuel efficient, and that is going to require effort from each and every one of us.”

THE FACTS: McCain’s plans are a windfall for oil companies and his record is no support of renewable energy.

Fact Check: The Record on Tax Increases

Tonight Sen. McCain said, “Just back on this tax, you know, again it is back to our first question here about rhetoric and record.  Senator Obama has voted 94 times to either increase your taxes or against tax cuts.  That's his record.”

THE FACTS: The claim that Obama voted 94 times to raise taxes has been thoroughly debunked. McCain has supported nearly 500 tax increases during his time in Congress.

Get the full facts at therecord.barackobama.com, and learn more at JohnMcCainRecord.com. 

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