I thought this was the best debate in the 16 months this has been going on. I thought that abc had just the right mix of questions.

If Obama and his supporters can't stand the heat of the kitchen what the hell are they doing in it in the first place.

Obama has been treated with kid gloves this entire campaign. if he and his supporters are withering from this, how the hell are they going to run against the republicans and McCain in the fall.

This is not a cakewalk. This is serious business. Stop your incessant whining Obama and get on with the job.

Besides, it is not your job to question how the debates are run. If you want to give Obama softball questions run your own damn debate.

FLAG ACCESSORIES is NOT serious business!

I don't care WHAT my future president wears! I care what kind of STEWARD he is going to be of the nation for pete's sake!

best debate? about what? people who were pardoned by the Clinton administration 8 years ago?

that is more important than gas being $4 a gallon and food prices inflating so that there are world-wide breakouts of violence?

we are attempting to replace the WORST ADMINISTRATION since Herbert Hoover and you are fascinated by fashion accessories, an obscure hippie group that has not been active in 40 years, and a minister who was invited to Clinton's prayer meetings during the Lewinsky scandal.

what PLANET do you live on?

"This is not a cakewalk. This is serious business. Stop your incessant whining Obama and get on with the job."

Are you SERIOUS?! These questiosn were ANYTHING but serious buisness. Obama had to say the same things he has been saying for months about all of this inane BS all while trying to get these "moderators" to understand that these were not the issues that the american people wanted to hear about, these were Republican talking points which either candidate is susceptible to. Hillary herself said she had the baggage, what makes you think the Republicans won't bring it up again this fall? Hillary is done, and the longer she keeps this up, the more damage she is going to do to this party. Obama can weather the storm. He proved that with the lapel-pin/wright/bitter all of them. At this point, bringing this crap up only irritates people enough to realize that Obama is right, this crap needs to end if we are gonna get anything done.

It was the first debate that they asked obama difficult questions (instead of how are you going to make the world great) and all his supporters are upset. I liked it and will watch ABC news from now on.

As an undecided voter, I would have liked to hear the candidates' positions on the housing crisis, Bear Stearns bailout, Fed rate cuts, the decline of public education, the role of the executive branch in Government, the feasibility of a diplomatic solution in Iraq, etc., -- you know, things that matter -- rather than flag pins, "sniper fire" and "bitter" gaffes, loose associations with controversial people, etc. -- you know, things that don't.

I certainly hope people are voting on criteria more profound than who-knows-who and who-said-what-about-whom. Am I back in high school?

Ha! If you call ABC's viewer comment line and try to leave a message, it hangs up! I bet their servers are so full of negative feedback they can't accept any more!

What a pack of morons. I completely agree that the best moment in the debate was when Gibson was booed. I only wish the audience had voted with their mouths halfway thorough. The moderators should have been shouted down, and a randomly selected delegation of audience members should have taken over. Anyone would have been better than ABC's trained monkeys.

Lapel-Pin Patriots. The Tyranny of Patriotism.

How is a stinking little enamelled piece of lead-based metal possibly relevant to a man being capable for formulating effective domestic and foreign policy? I heard the comment (on MPR) from a "questioner" that if Obama didn't wear a flag pin, he didn't love America, because all of the fire & police services wear them.

I better go find one of those pins. They might take away my citizenship if I don't wear it.

But, what is patriotic enough?

Appropriate Patriotic Actions Required by U.S. Citizens?
1. wear a patriotic flag pin.
2. fly a patriotic flag.
3. stick a patriotic "yellow ribbon" on your car.
4. Put a patriotic "support the troops" sign in your front yard.

I haven't heard a single useful debate to date. 30 seconds to answer a question? Hell, even 2 minutes is certainly NOT enough time to explain a person's philosophy. Positions move. situations change. I don't only want to know where she/he is *now*; I want to know how they will decide where to move, if they have to. Neither one has had enough time to address this in a readily accessible forum.

November, where are you!?

Julie: " ... it is not your job to question how the debates are run."

Julie, whose job is it then?