I didn't get to see the debate, but from what I read here and from what I see on tv now (the excerpts from the debate) it looks like I didn't miss much.
You didn't. I have to say that I have paid more attention to this presidential campaign than any other I can think of, even the 2004 election. However, I had to struggle to stay awake through most of it, a struggle I eventually lost.
They both seemed to care more about scoring points off of one another than answering the questions. Two points stood out for me:
When Senator McCain was talking about the economy and said that the American people were "probably a little scared". Gee, you THINK?? I would imagine that many of the American people are pooping in their pants right about now!!!
When Senator Obama said to one of the people in the audience who asked a question, "But you want to know more about...not hear us go back and forth." I wanted to smack him on the back of the head.
The American people are scared, lots of them may be hungry, a few of them may be on the verge of being homeless, and they want someone to shine a light on their lives. BOTH candidates had the opportunity to do so last night and failed, IMO. I don't believe that either of them was aggressive enough.
