This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some questions that occur to me as I think about Friday's debate:
Will Obama maintain his current lead through next Friday? If so, if McCain doesn't win the debate, then does he effectively lose it by missing an opportunity to bring the race back to a tie?
Even though the topic of the first debate is foreign policy and national security, it's hard to imagine that the economy won't be a significant part of the discussion. This can't make McCain happy. Will he stick to his view that fighting terrorism is a higher priority than strengthening economy?
Will voters watch? The debate is on a Friday night. Will more watch, or less? If less watch it live, will more watch it over the weekend on replay? Or will they just rely on pundit analysis, making the post-debate spin war even more important?
What will expectations be? Most people agree that Obama appears more statesmanlike than McCain and is currently dominating the campaign narrative, but McCain had a stronger performance than Obama at the Saddleback Forum and does better than Obama in formats that demand pithy answers.
Which McCain will show up? Respectful, earnest McCain, or angry, nasty McCain?
Will Obama be able to combine his trademark poise with snappy yet thoughtful responses?
What're your thoughts?
Six Questions About The Debate
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some questions that occur to me as I think about Friday's debate:
Will Obama maintain his current lead through next Friday? If so, if McCain doesn't win the debate, then does he effectively lose it by missing an opportunity to bring the race back to a tie?
Even though the topic of the first debate is foreign policy and national security, it's hard to imagine that the economy won't be a significant part of the discussion. This can't make McCain happy. Will he stick to his view that fighting terrorism is a higher priority than strengthening economy?