Blogging The First Presidential Debate

by Walter Alarkon - 09/26/08 8:10 PM ET

The Briefing Room will liveblog Friday night’s debate between Barack Obama and John McCain.

With the scheduled topic being foreign policy, expect both candidates to highlight their positions on the Iraq war.

Obama has said that his early opposition to the U.S.-led invasion and the recent Iraqi government support for his troop withdrawal timeline are evidence of his sound foreign policy judgment. McCain, however, has criticized Obama for opposing the military surge, which McCain has championed and has credited for bringing down violence there.

Moderator Jim Lehrer is also likely to ask about the nuclear weapons programs in Iran and North Korea, the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban, and the invasion of Georgia by Russian forces.

Lehrer has left the door open to questions about the burgeoning economic crisis that has been dominating the news. The crisis and talks in Congress over the proposed $700 billion bailout had prompted McCain this week to call for a delay to the debate, but McCain committed Friday to showing up. Both he and Obama will likely try to display an understanding of the enormity of the situation, especially since the economy has become the top issue for most voters.

The debate, held at the University of Mississippi, starts at 9 p.m. and lasts for 90 minutes. The candidates will each have two-minutes to answer a question. After their answers, they will have a 5-minute period for further discussion on that question.

8:50 p.m.: Welcome to The Briefing Room’s liveblog of the first presidential debate. The candidates are scheduled to take the stage in 10 minutes.

Both sides have already begun their attempts to spin reporters.

Earlier today, the Obama campaign sent a memo raising expectations for John McCain. The campaign said that McCain needs to win to make up for what it called an “unsteady” week for the Republican.

The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, just sent out a tip sheet called “Fact Checks to Remember.” Here’s a quick sample: