So who won?

I have spent the morning scouring the media reports of the debate along with the major columnist's reactions. The general consensus is this: That among the writers, McCain won, if only be a small margin. Among the people, according to the three main polls conducted on the event, Obama won handily. The media thought it was one of the best presidential debates in may election cycles, the population as a wholes, less so.

Who do I think won? You win a debate by delivering one-liners, and I thought McCain had more of them. You also win a debate by memorable exchanges, and Obama's "John, you were wrong" exchange was probably the best of the night.

The debate, which focused heavily on foreign affairs, may have actually confused viewers and listeners. Foreign policy is not a particularly strong subject in a country where many citizens have trouble locating countries like Georgia or Azerbaijan on a map. In a way, the debate’s omission of many polarizing domestic issues like abortion, gay marriage and immigration may have served to calm the race.

Due, perhaps, to the lack of polarizing issues, both candidates seemed to develop their own, broader personalities on-screen. The depth of the debate led to a deeper understanding of each candidate’s individual character: Obama was no longer the ‘celebrity’ or novelty because of his race, and McCain was no longer, well, McBush.

Based on projected ratings that are supposed to be stratospheric, along with the general sense that no one lost it, we'll call the debate: a draw

[UPDATE: See below, Obama's camp is playing up the polling results, while McCain is playing up Obama's responses]