Foreign substance

Guest Editorial from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The televised meeting between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama restored a sense of gravitas to the 2008 presidential campaign after a month in which it threatened to descend into trivialities.

The crisis on Wall Street caused a brief detour in the schedule that called for the first debate to focus on foreign affairs. But despite the 48-hour sideshow that derailed the campaigns last week, McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Obama, Democrat of Illinois, expressed general agreement about the need for federal intervention in the financial markets.

The meat of the debate was about their profoundly different views of the use of American force in Iraq and America’s role in the world. Neither man said very much new.

Obama opposed the war from the beginning and has called for a phased 16-month withdrawal of American forces. McCain supported the war from the beginning and was one of the earliest voices calling for additional troops and a change of strategy after Iraq descended into chaos.

But time and again, Obama reminded the audience that the war in Iraq took attention, troops and resources away from the mission against al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

Foreign affairs was billed as McCain’s strength, and he did not disappoint. He repeatedly stressed his edge in experience, his personal relationships with foreign leaders and his travel to other countries.

Obama couldn’t match the personal experience, so he emphasized the need to restore America’s moral standing in the world.

Who “won” the debate is being spun vigorously by both sides.

Those listening for nuance and grasp of detail may have favored Obama. Those who want toughness and certitude may give the nod to McCain.

The debate capped an extraordinary week in presidential campaign history. Only once before, in 1932, have candidates run against a background of such apocalyptic financial gloom.

And rarely have party lines and positions seemed so skewed. As most Senate Republicans found common cause with the president and their Democratic colleagues, House Republicans staged an 11th-hour protest. This left the most prominent Senate Republican — McCain — fishing for a way to demonstrate his leadership of the party.

That’s why his performance Friday night was so important to his campaign. He flew into Oxford, Miss., on Friday and got back into the game.

Obama, by contrast, had the luxury of a party that generally is unified, not only behind his candidacy, but also in its response to the financial crisis.

The two candidates’ responses to the week’s events were as instructive as anything they said Friday night. McCain played it hot, looking in vain for the grand gesture, recovering his aplomb on Friday like an old warrior.

Obama played it cool. It served him well at mid-week, but perhaps not so well on Friday evening.

John McCain had a bad week and a good night. Barack Obama had a good week and an OK night. The election, like the financial markets, is still very much in play.

Distributed by Creators Syndicate, Inc.