Last night's debate was not the knockout punch from McCain that conservatives were hoping for. Liberals/Democrats think Obama won, conservatives/Republicans think McCain won.

I thought McCain made some good points against Obama. There were a couple of times where it looked like Obama was against the ropes, and I did not see McCain ever backed into a corner or on the defense. It actually reminded me of the boxing match in 1986 when Sugar Ray Leonard beat Marvin Hagler. To anyone watching, it seemed that Hagler had Leonard against the ropes several times, and throughout the match controlled the ring and had Leonard backing up and looking for an escape. But it was ruled Leonard won the match, to the amazement of those who thought Hagler won hands down.

So, in the end, the debate changed little for either side. McCain needed to land a knockout and he did not. Those of us rooting for McCain are disappointed that there was no mention of the dubious past history of Obama, but there was little opportunity to bring it up. Here's hoping that McCain keeps pressing the association and judgment issue on the campaign trail. I would like to see Obama actually answer the accusations made against him instead of deflecting them.