The Corner

by Walter Alarkon - 10/16/08 9:30 AM ET

Though John McCain was good at Wednesday’s debate, he still lacked the killer instinct and the contempt for Barack Obama that would have allowed him to really go after the Democrat, writes Mark Steyn. That reluctance helped to elevate Obama’s stature, Steyn adds. McCain was “sharp, confident and powerful,” but only won the debate on points, which isn’t enough, writes Stanley Kurtz. McCain should spend the rest of the election connecting his attacks on Obama’s associations to his criticisms of Obama’s liberal economic policies, Kurtz suggests.

Tags Barack Obama John McCain