Presidential Debate! Tonight!

UPDATED WITH FINAL NUMBERS CBS News and Knowledge Networks conducted a nationally representative poll of approximately 500 uncommitted voters reacting to the debate in the minutes after it happened.

Thirty-nine percent of uncommitted voters who watched the debate tonight thought Barack Obama was the winner. Twenty-four percent thought John McCain won. Thirty-seven percent saw it as a draw.

Forty-six percent of uncommitted voters said their opinion of Obama got better tonight. Thirty-two percent said their opinion of McCain got better.

Sixty-six percent of uncommitted voters think Obama would make the right decisions about the economy. Forty-two percent think McCain would.

Forty-eight percent of these voters think Obama would make the right decisions about Iraq. Fifty-six percent think McCain would.

We will have a full report on the poll later on. Uncommitted voters are those who don't yet know who they will vote for, or who have chosen a candidate but may still change their minds.

The margin of sampling error could be plus or minus 4 percentage points for results based on the entire sample.

(CBS) The first presidential debate helped uncommitted voters learn about the candidates - and it appears that Democrat Barack Obama benefited the most, according to a CBS News/Knowledge Networks poll taken immediately following the debate.

Uncommitted voters said Obama won the debate against Republican John McCain, and more of those voters improved their opinion of the Democrat. But while 66 percent think Obama would make the right decisions about the economy, 56 percent think McCain would do so about Iraq.

Immediately after the debate, CBS News interviewed a nationally representative sample of nearly 500 debate watchers assembled by Knowledge Networks who were "uncommitted voters" - voters who are either undecided about who to vote for or who say they could still change their minds. Thirty-nine percent of these uncommitted debate watchers said Obama won the debate. Twenty-four percent said McCain won, and another 37 percent thought it was a tie.

Nearly half of those uncommitted voters who watched the debate said that their image of Obama changed for the better as a result. Just eight percent say their opinion of Obama got worse, and 46 percent reported no change in their opinions.

McCain saw less improvement in his image. Thirty-two percent have improved their image of McCain as a result of the debate, but 21 percent said their views of him are now worse than before.

Why did voters' image of Obama improve? Many volunteered that they were impressed by his poise and knowledge about the issues, that he was more knowledgeable about the issues than they thought previously. When it came to McCain, those same voters said he "didn’t control himself well under pressure," that he was "angry and bad-tempered," and that he "talked too much about the past."

On the other hand, voters who thought McCain won the debate felt he showed more experience and understanding of the issues - particularly foreign policy. Many felt he exceeded their expectations in how he presented himself tonight, saying he was a "better debater" and a "skilled speaker."

Although much of this debate addressed foreign policy issues, the candidates talked about the economy for about 30 minutes - which is after all what voters say is their most important concern. Uncommitted debate watchers saw Obama as the clear winner on handling the economy; 66 percent felt he would make the right decisions about the economy, while 42 percent felt McCain would do so.

But when it came to the war in Iraq, McCain was the stronger candidate. Before the debate, 44 percent said that McCain would make the right decisions about the war; that rose to 56 percent after the debate. Fewer thought Obama would make the right decisions on Iraq.

Both candidates made some gains in presenting their respective visions for the country. Sixty-five percent said that Obama made it clear what he would do as president; 64 percent said that of his rival, McCain.

In national polls of registered voters overall, one of McCain's strengths has been the perception that he is ready for the presidency, while Obama's has been the perception that he is empathetic to voters' needs. Uncommitted voters who watched the debate share those perceptions.

But while eight in 10 uncommitted voters who watched the debate think McCain is prepared to be president, six in 10 now think Obama is prepared as well - a significant improvement from his standing among these same voters before the debate. The percentage of watchers who think Obama understands their needs and problems has also increased by 21 points, while a majority still say McCain does not.

Uncommitted voters include those who say they have a preference, but also say they could still change their minds. Before the debate, 36 percent favored Obama and 34 percent favored McCain. Obama now leads by 12 points among uncommitted debate watchers - 41 percent to 29 percent -- in their choice for president in November. But nearly three in 10 remain undecided, and most of those with a choice now say their minds could still change.

I'm also glad that Gwenn Ifill sp?) will be moderating at the vice presidential debate. The simple fact that Gwenn is a woman (and not Katie Couric) will put Palin in a position of not being able to bluster her way out of factual answers. I think Palin has a way of making men defer to her, perhaps not consciously, but in a way that is instilled in men from the time they are children.

Diane wrote:

I'm also glad that Gwenn Ifill sp?) will be moderating at the vice presidential debate. The simple fact that Gwenn is a woman (and not Katie Couric) will put Palin in a position of not being able to bluster her way out of factual answers. I think Palin has a way of making men defer to her, perhaps not consciously, but in a way that is instilled in men from the time they are children.

Me too. And that kind of concerns me because Biden, bless him, could quite easily fall into a trap of talking to her like a cocktail waitress. That would be a mistake.

FreeDuck wrote:

Diane wrote:

I'm also glad that Gwenn Ifill sp?) will be moderating at the vice presidential debate. The simple fact that Gwenn is a woman (and not Katie Couric) will put Palin in a position of not being able to bluster her way out of factual answers. I think Palin has a way of making men defer to her, perhaps not consciously, but in a way that is instilled in men from the time they are children.

Me too. And that kind of concerns me because Biden, bless him, could quite easily fall into a trap of talking to her like a cocktail waitress. That would be a mistake.

I've known some pretty knowledgeable cocktail waitresses.

Me too, but I've found that knowledge won't keep the drunk old men from slapping your ass and calling you sweetie.

Senator Biden will steamroller Palin. Who is she but a backwoods woman who did not even have the smarts to terminate a pregnancy of a retard. After all the gushing about her courage, it is interesting that MSNBC revealed that 90%-ninety percent-of women who had been told that their child to be had Down's syndrome terminated their pregnancy. It does not appear that Palin is marching along with the large majority of American women who insist that there must be a choice.
Senator Biden does not have to condescend to Palin. All he has to do is to mention her ties to complete banning of abortion; evangelism and bizarre claims about her foriegn policy experience( Alaska is certainly close to
Russia).I'm guessing you're on some really strange drugs.