If you must choose who won the second Presidential debate 2008 the answer is - unfortunately - clear: it was the American public, who had prepared precise and reasonable questions, to which the candidates gave long winding, mostly not concrete, answers.

It all started with a question to Senator Obama about what he would do to immediately ease the economic pain of senior people. Obama did not list, point for point, what he would do to the economy, or to this specific problem, instead he talked in general terms, and took the opportunity to make it clear whom he thought should be blamed for the mess. The same pattern followed for both candidates over and over again.

It is understandable that a candidate running for a high office cannot always give precise answers to questions for a variety of reasons, often because the question does not allow one, but this time the questions were very good and very precise. The people really wanted to know the candidates' positions to well defined issues, instead of whom to blame or what the candidate has done during his earlier career.

The race for the White House started some two years ago. Those following the race closely have come to know Senators Obama and McCain well. A debate, like the one we saw yesterday, does hardly bring anything new. There is one candidate with a bright, analytical mind and who seems to be cool rather than passionate. Then there is another candidate who is extremely experienced, and who has had the admiration of the American public. Each voter can make his or her choice, and it cannot be argued that the choice would be wrong.

There is however one big, unfortunate, difference between the candidates. At 72 years and after a history of melanomas McCain chose a Vice-Presidential candidate, who clearly is not a person who could take up the enormous responsibilities of the leader of her country and the Western world.

Olli Raade