I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m not the only first-time debate watcher out there. Friday’s smackdown between the two candidates, who are about as different as two people can be, was a little anticlimactic. I guess I was hoping to lose my debate virginity to something special.

I followed the debate on CNN and on Twitter, both of which provided real-time audience reactions from admittedly small and self-selected group. On CNN, a line graph shows reactions from a group of 32 people who turned dials to express their approval or disapproval of what a candidate was saying.

At debate’s end, the only people who were comfortable with declaring a definitive winner were rabid supporters of either candidate. It was hard to call, mostly because Barack Obama held his own in what everyone agreed was John McCain’s subject. Before the debate, most pundits agreed that McCain needed a clear win to boost his campaign. And that he most certainly did not get, unless you are a McCain spokesperson.

This year, the majority of swing voters are Democrats and Independents. What Obama needs to prove, analysts agree, is that he is ready to be a leader. His policies and his political stance don’t need any further bolstering among the voters whose hearts he has yet to win.

He came into this debate as the stronger overall candidate, yet also knowing that he did not have a strong background in foreign policy. His biggest overall gaffe, in my opinion, was spending so much time on the defensive. Interrupting McCain so frequently made me feel like I was watching The People’s Court - and no, that’s not a racial remark. It made him look nervous and unprepared to face off with McCain on his strong point, which is probably true.

And though he was stronger in this topic, the thing that McCain failed to do was distance himself from the Bush administration. He’s in a tough spot - he can’t denounce Bush for fear of losing his core constituency, which already barely tolerates him, but at the same time he can’t win any swing voters without acknowledging that they all hate our president.

CNN’s polls show Obama as the better candidate by some big margins:

Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?

Obama - 51%

McCain - 38%

Who Would Better Handle Economy?

Obama - 58%

McCain - 37%

Who Would Better Handle Iraq?

Obama - 52%

McCain - 47%

McCain’s war experience serves him well, but not quite well enough. The next debates should be a little more interesting, since they will focus on the topics that rely more on policies than on experience.

Personally, I can’t wait for the Palin/Biden deathmatch. I hope they bring out a moose.

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