Round two

Barack Obama and John McCain met in Nashville Tuesday for the second of three presidential debates.

As in the first debate, the candidates spoke about the economy, as well as entitlements and foreign policy.

The debate was in a town-hall format: The candidates fielded questions from audience members and online contributors.

Each candidate's campaign met before the second debate and signed agreements to follow strict guidelines and time limits in order to answer more questions - but it appeared those rules were made to be broken, as both candidates frequently exceeded their time limits.

As the debate began, Obama criticized McCain's record.

"When Sen. McCain was cheerleading the president to go into Iraq, he suggested it was going to be quick and easy - we would be greeted as liberators," he said. "That was the wrong judgment."

McCain countered by accusing Obama of revealing his strategy for Middle Eastern countries like Pakistan, rather then keeping them strategically hidden.

Of the 13 students polled by the Daily Lobo after the debate, two are voting for McCain and 11 for Obama. However, no one polled said McCain won the debate. Seven said Obama was the winner, and six called it a tie.

Most students polled after the last presidential debate said Obama was the clear winner.

Freshman Rebecca Conner said it was hard to determine a victor, as both candidates made solid points.

"I really couldn't tell who won," she said. "Both candidates were really strong on issues, and both candidates seemed to stray off of the topic. I didn't like how the candidates both went into a he-said/she-said argument, but would have rather they just answered the questions directly."

Conner said she was listening to hear how the candidates would address health care.

Obama's health care plan would create a national health insurance program for individuals who do not have employer-provided health care and who might not be able to participate in existing federal programs.

McCain said he opposes federally mandated universal coverage because he thinks competition will improve the quality of health insurance.

"I liked the way that Obama had a real plan, but I also liked the way that McCain wanted to take care of a few problems all at once," Conner said.

Junior Dillon Fisher-Ives said neither candidate was better than the other, and both showed strong commitment to their platforms.

"I didn't have any problems with the debate," Fisher-Ives said. "I did like how both candidates went over their allotted time limit because it showed that they are really committed to trying to get their message across."

Stephen Dinkel, president of Lobo Conservatives, said McCain's point about earmarks was well-spoken.

"We know that McCain's spending hasn't been the type of problem that Obama's has," Dinkel said. "I liked how McCain kept on repeating himself on how his judgment in those situations has led to his success."

Dinkel said this debate offered a new perspective on McCain and answered key questions in the race.

"I think that McCain won the debate," Dinkel said. "The town-hall setting is what McCain does best with, and he really was able to convey his message better in this debate than the first."

The third and final debate will air Oct. 15.