Senators praise two of their own after first debate

Despite a deep partisan divide in Washington, senators found some good things to say about the other party’s presidential candidate following Friday night’s first debate. 

Asked what they admired most about Sen. John McCain’s (Ariz.) performance, Democrats said the GOP presidential nominee showed command of foreign policy. Asked to compliment an aspect of Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama’s (Ill.) performance, Republicans cited his rhetorical skills and surprising knowledge in foreign policy.

{mosads}Senators made it unanimously clear that they thought their party’s candidate won the contest, held at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. But they acknowledged that the respective opponent sometimes met or exceeded their expectations.

“He did better than I thought he would,” Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said of Obama. “Particularly on foreign relations and the military side of things. Obama is a good speaker, he stands authoritatively, and for the average American I’m sure he looks very knowledgeable.”

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), said Obama “was smart and had answers for everything.”

“Usually they were one-, two- and three-point answers, and he had a stock answer for every complaint against him. He seldom was caught without an answer. I give him credit for that. It proves he has capacity and brain power.”

“He was very measured in his responses, and he seemed very composed,” added Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) of Obama. “That reflected well on him.”

Democrats saluted McCain’s grasp of military and foreign affairs, and more than one said the Arizona senator also displayed an unexpectedly effective knowledge of economic issues.

“I thought he was very positive on calming things down on the financial problems of Wall Street, in terms of moving along the bill,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said of McCain. “He was very conciliatory about making clear that we’ve got to pass a bill, which was very helpful.”

“McCain was articulate — more so than I would have thought, to be honest with you,” added Bernard Sanders, a Vermont Independent who caucuses with Democrats. “It’s not my point of view, but I thought he did a good job defending it.”

When asked to cite their top criticism of Obama’s performance, Democratic senators said their candidate should work harder to emphasize the Bush administration’s responsibility for the current financial crisis.

When asked the same about McCain, Republicans said their candidate could improve his economic knowledge but also stressed that Friday’s debate was originally intended to be focused on foreign affairs. Several GOP senators also stated that McCain could gain traction by blaming past Democratic policies for the current fiscal crisis, such as Clinton administration policies that promoted home ownership through irresponsible mortgage terms and too-easy credits.

Several senators struggled with being prodded into praising the other party’s candidate, or did so only with implicit criticism. Democrats, for example, brought up McCain’s well-known temper.

“He kept that under control and looked rational and reliable,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said of McCain.

For their part, Republicans suggested Obama’s impressive rhetorical gifts were superficial.

“He looks good and sounds good, but if you look a little deeper, you realize it’s oratory and doesn’t come from real experience,” DeMint said.

“He had his lines down,” Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said of Obama. “But I just wonder if people saw a president up there.”