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Live-blogging the debate, No. 1

Chime in with your comments on the first Obama-McCain debate here.

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Tom Schaller here. I will be posting during the debate tonight, but to get things kicked off, a few questions:

Has John McCain already hamstrung himself by backing out and then in again?

What is the threshold that Barack Obama needs to reach tonight? Is it topically — given the focus on foreign policy — McCain’s to lose? That is, does a tie go to Obama?

What do you make of the new format that actually allows interchange and question posing of the opponent?

By Thomas Schaller

Thomas F. Schaller is professor of political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the author of "Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South." Follow him @schaller67.


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