Anna Steely gave a great overview of our experience Friday and Saturday working for MSNBC on the set of Hardball. I'm sure my fellow interns got annoyed with me saying "oh my god, y'all!" every ten minutes, but that's okay. While Anna was in the Ford Center watching the debate live, I watched it in the MSNBC workspace in a Union conference room with Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, the Hardball producers, the Senior Technical Director and his assistant, and several other interns. Chris Matthews' commentary was especially entertaining (on McCain at the beginning, "boring boring boring boring!" and on Obama, "say something Barack!"). Like Dr. Husni said tonight, I too was disappointed with the debate. I thought both Obama and McCain did little more than squabble and I didn't hear anything really substantial, when I know both candidates have strong policies (albeit different). I thought Obama could have scored major points if he'd talked about the economy at the opening-25 minutes was spent on the bailout, but yet he seemed to beat around the bush. I think this was because it was a foreign policy debate so he thought he had to stick to FP issues, but Americans wanted to hear about plans for the economy. But he didn't, and I really wish he had. McCain offered nothing interesting to me either, especially when he repeatedly attacked Barack's record. I thought he could have made a much more positive argument by saying things he's done and will do, not things Barack hasn't done. And what was with Obama's "John's right" over and over? He was trying to be courteous, even nice, it seemed, but it didn't work because McCain wasn't on the same page...at times, not even on the same screen because he would turn his back to Obama. I don't think that's such a huge deal, just disrespectful and annoying. I didn't think either one, but if I had to pick, I'd go with McCain just because I know Obama is a way better orator than what he showed Friday night.