Romney was rude throughout and Obama and Jim Lehrer didn't push back. That allowed Romney to take over the debate.

While it wouldn't have worked if Obama challenged Romney for behavior toward him, he could have said something like, Mitt, there's no reason to bully Mr. Lehrer.

Doing so would got the media talking about all the times Romney has bullied people, including high school and on several occasions this year.

Had Obama done that, one of two things would have probably happened. 1) Romney would have stopped using a tactic that was helping him; 2) Romney would have continued but viewers having been made keenly aware of it would have become turned off to anything Romney said.

At the least, Obama would have thrown Romney off message and broken his concentration for awhile.

I think debate showed quite a bit about the state of politics and discourse in America.

On one side you have an extreme element, which knowingly, willingly lied repeatedly in a grand attempt at obfuscation. On the other a more passive element, which had more correct facts, but an unwillingness to use them. And in the middle a veteran, respected member of the media unwilling - or unable - to do his job in the face of the first.

It's not always this way (thank goodness we live in Oregon), mind you. But last night it was.

Mitt Romney forced his way to a perceived victory, a stereotype of every negative symbol our country has; he bullied, lied, and slickly condescended his way through 90 minutes on the economy. It's this same attitude that has put us into such peril on so many issues: global climate change; energy; regulating Wall Street; health care; and many more.

I work in politics and I work for proven progressives (to steal Senator Merkley's brand for a second) because I don't believe America should be that kind of nation, where we recklessly disregard fact and each other in a shortsighted quest for the most profit as quickly as possible. It's how we've ended up where we are. And Romney's proposed path deeper down that road scares me.

While don't have kids yet, I hope to someday. And last night I couldn't have a clearer example of someone to point to on TV and say "This is not who we are. This it not who we should strive to be."

Let's hope in the second debate President Obama has more luck doing the same.

Romney dominated, but i doubt it will be a game changer. The states where the president is ahead in the polls by 4% or more add up to 275 electoral votes. Romney could take all the battleground states and still lose.

Then we have Sununu's comment the our president is lazy. That doesn't help Romney's cause.