Your Guide To The First Presidential Debate

What do you think of when you hear the words "foreign policy"? In today's vernacular, it's (mostly) longhand for "Iraq." "National security" and "homeland security" are two ways for politicians to say "terrorism." Other foreign-policy issues include Guantanamo Bay, Israel, Russia, defense spending, even climate change.

But the issue on the minds of most voters right now is the economy and the mess on Wall Street. Believe it or not, there are foreign policy implications there, too.

As important as these topics are, the candidates are almost talking in soundbites. Like Dale Carnegie students, they're limited to two minute answers, followed by a five-minute discussion for each question. That means about 8-9 questions if we're lucky.

The format is this: Jim Lehrer asks a question. Candidate 1 answers; Candidate 2 answers; then there's discussion. All in less than 10 minutes per question.

Be sure to have a piece of paper or an open word processing program... and make a note if a candidate actually answers the question asked. Usually, given that they have only two (2) minutes, candidates will "bridge" (a nicer way to say "spin") to a pre-rehearsed answer, otherwise known as a soundbite.

Listen for the gaffe, a polite way to say "foot in mouth." Of the two candidates in this debate, McCain is the more prone to gaffe. Gaffes wind up on YouTube. Not good.

Speaking of the answer, do you feel like the candidate is talking at you, down to you, or with you? That's important.

There's a great book for persuasive speakers, You've Got To Be Believed To Be Heard. That's true for salesmen, and it's true for politicians. If there are inconsistencies in a message, we believe "our eyes"--after all neural pathways from the eyes to the brain are 25 times more dense than from our ears.

Our eyes take in a lot of information, information relating to how comfortable the candidate appears to be: is he smiling (not the fake smile that doesn't reach to the eyes); does he use gestures or does he have a death grip on the podium? Is he energetic, enthusiastic?

Then there's how well he takes a punch. In TV debates, punches aren't literal, they're rhetorical. Does he snap back and show anger, or is he calm and collected?

This is the first presidential election of the modern era where no incumbent (president or vice president) is in the race. We call this an open seat, and because the current president is so unpopular, this means that both candidates are running "against" the incumbent, President George W. Bush.

Keep a log of how many times both Obama and McCain mention "Bush" or "George" or "President Bush." Think about noting a "star" should either man say anything remotely positive. (I don't expect that to happen.)

John McCain was elected to Congress in 1982 and to the Senate in 1986. He ran for president in 2000. In the Senate, he has served on the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. McCain is a supporter of the Iraq War; however, he butted heads with Bush on torture.

McCain's challenges Friday night, now that he's decided to show up, are (1) to overcome any stigma associated with his call to postpone the debate; (2) touch the hearts and minds of the majority of Americans who want out of Iraq, now; and (3) keep his foot out of his mouth. McCain is not an adept orator, so the bar for his delivery is low. However, when he's "on," he excels at off-the-cuff, emotive quips, which makes him seem authentic.

Barack Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996 and the U.S. Senate in 2002. He has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; as a member, he took a high-profile (solo) trip to Africa in August 2006. While running for the U.S. Senate, he spoke out against the war in Iraq; however, he later said that because he was not privy to the Senate intelligence reports, "I don't know" how I would have voted.

Obama's challenges Friday night are (1) to overcome concerns that he is too inexperienced for the job; (2) clearly articulate his plan for Iraq; and (3) connect with the audience. Obama is an adept orator, but he is also known for being cool and cerebral. "Too cool" got Gov. Dukakis in big trouble.

The moderator for the first debate is veteran journalist Jim Lehrer (74), executive editor and anchor, The NewsHour, PBS. Lehrer has been involved with the last five presidential campaigns, moderating 10 debates. In the 2004 campaign, he moderated the first debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry on 30 September. In 1996 and 2000, he was the sole moderator of all five debates as well as one vice presidential debate.

Read a detailed biography of Jim Lehrer.