Prez debate- my notes from the evening!

I'm watching it in the television studio of KTOO in Juneau. KTOO is the PBS station here. There are about 40 people gathered in this dark studio, focused on the large screen suspended above us.

A little bit of clapping here as the candidates enter.

Is it so hard for McCain to look at the camera? Obama was much better.

"Americans are going to lose their credits." McCain, what does that even mean?

So far, McCain on the defense. His tie was a bad choice. Hurts my eyes.

The Alaska crowd thinks the DNA of bears would be just fine to study.
They groan at McCain's comments.

Obama is kicking his ass!

Its so perfect that the financial market is having trouble now. Makes the arguments about health care make perfect sense.

25 minutes in

Lots of claps when Obama pointed our that we are spending $10billion a month on Iraq (was that the right figure? Something like that).

McCain brings up climate change.... Has he talked to Sarah about that?

When McCain said he has a maverick for a partner-- that got a huge BOO!

"we are winning in Iraq." really, McCain? No one here believes you.

Very powerful when Obama said "we must use our military wisely"
straight into the camera.

Obama- "you were wrong.. you were wrong.... You were wrong." awesome!

Obama perfect on the troop funding question- we have a difference on the time table, not on troop funding. Makes McCain look childish.

50 minutes in

Okay, one bad thing. Obama seems a little too annoyed with the "you don't know the difference between strategy and tactics."

McCain playing into continued Bush-style secrecy of government - "you don't do that, you don't say that out loud" (about military strikes
into Pakistan." wait-- you don't do that, or you just don't tell people?

Obama is good at dismissing the procedural type votes or actions that McCain brings up.

Okay, McCain made a decent point about legitimizing Iranian president, but then to say that also implies we agree with him? Stupid.

McCain keeps saying "Obama doesn't seem to understand..." that rings hollow when Obama looks so damn smart.

McCain does sound okay when he talks about visiting other countries. What will Palin say when Biden says the same stuff? "Oh, my mom and dad didn't give me a passport, I just had four babies?

1hour 22 minutes in

Okay, this is okay. McCain says "we have a safer country, but we are a long way from safe." I disagree, but he sounds okay.

How is sacrifice that has happened in Iraq (of American lives and dollars) lost if we leave Iraq? McCain doesn't make any sense.

How can McCain bring up experience when he picked Sarah Palin? Now he's really reaching -- comparing Obama to Bush. Totally unbelievable.

Oh- of course we couldn't finish without a POW reference!!

Everyone here is looking forward to the VP debate next week! I hope it actually happens. Can't wait to see Palin shredded by Biden!!

Juneau

This place is so pretty! My hotel is just up the street.
The local politics this year sound like they are about a failed
initiative to allow gambling. Last year it was flouride in the water.

The Glacier

I made my obligatory visit to the Mendenhall Glacier again this year.
My new high school, Thunder Mountain is near there, so I meandered up
a different road than normal. It was a cool angle!
Now, I'm at the Triangle playing tricia. Same bartender as last year,
and same older couple at the other end of the bar. Just like diamond
knot. Wait- they really are an older couple in their 60's. (shut up
Marko)

Robert called me during my dinner- so nice to hear from him and gossip
about Sarah Palin as usual! I felt lilebi should talk a little quieter
about Palin, but I must admit that I have seen 5-6 Obama signs and
only one McCain sign. Oh, and I found a shop with "our mama beats your
Obama" shirts and "a woman's place is in Washington." (what does that
even mean? The reference to the kitchen/home doesn't fit that.
Stupid). However- the little salesgirl was getting a talking-to by an
older male German tourist from the cruise ship in town right now. He
seemed to think McCain was bad. And the salesgirl whispered, "I think
he's a mean guy, too."

cool map

This website, raven maps, has cool maps. I love this washington one. I'm not buying it now, but would be a cool gift. Also a cool gift for some other people I know...

Monday....

Here we are on the final day! Feeling a bit tired and like there is
less to see. Saw some improv comedy making fun of audience member's
myspace pages. There were some dorks there. Entertaining, though!
We saw x-liberation cult instead of Adele. They sucked. Better when we
couldn't see their faces, but still crappy. Now, John Vanderslice-
pretty nice, love the violin, but I don't feel like standing up. We
are on the broad street lawn, he commented on the space needle being
so close. And he heard from the audience that the restaurant up there
sucks.

Yesterday was more rock, today's music has been quieter. Well, we did
see The Offspring. Groan. They are like 14 year olds. And a guy in a
wheelchair crowd surfed. WTF