OXFORD, Mississippi // John McCain and Barack Obama met at their first presidential debate on Friday for an exchange that broke little new ground and produced no significant stumbles but laid out sharp contrasts between the two men in substance and style.
Both candidates employed lines and tactics that have become familiar on the campaign trail.
Mr McCain suggested Mr Obama was too inexperienced and lacked the judgement to serve as US president, repeatedly remarking in a tone that at times bordered on lecturing that the Illinois senator "didn't seem to understand".
Mr Obama, meanwhile, tried to link his Republican rival to the unpopular president, George W Bush, and what he called the failed policies of the past eight years.
The 90-minute debate at the University of Mississippi, for which both men seemed well-prepared, was supposed to have been devoted entirely to foreign policy. And the candidates answered questions on everything from the future of Iraq to the threat of Iran to how to deal with a resurgent Russia.
But a good deal of the debate was spent discussing aspects of the financial crisis that has gripped the country - and which nearly derailed the debate - and where the candidates stood on the proposed federal bailout package under negotiation in Washington the last few days.
The moderator, Jim Lehrer of PBS, asked what spending priorities each candidate would be forced to give up as a result of whatever plan is ultimately passed by the US Congress and signed into law by the president.
In an attempt to distance himself from his own party, Mr McCain highlighted the need to cut federal spending, which he called "completely out of control", and said he would consider a freeze on everything but essential spending like defence and entitlement programmes.
Mr Obama said a "range of programmes" would have to be delayed, but he did not specify which ones.
There seemed to be no clear winner in the debate, though each side spun its candidate's performance to its own advantage, as is the custom. Mr McCain was at times aggressive and spoke with more emotion, appearing most comfortable, as expected, when talking about foreign affairs, his area of expertise.
Aside from a few sharp remarks, Mr Obama came across as cool and remained poised, answering questions more directly than he sometimes does.
Neither candidate stumbled badly, though Mr McCain referred incorrectly to the new president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, as "Kadari" and stumbled over the name of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president. On the matter of Iraq, the candidates sparred over the troop surge, with Mr McCain accusing Mr Obama of refusing to acknowledge its success in reducing violence.
"Senator Obama said the 'surge' could not work; said it would increase sectarian violence; said it was doomed to failure," Mr McCain said. "But yet, after conceding that, he still says that he would oppose the surge if he had to decide that again today."
But Mr Obama stressed that the surge was necessary only because of the administration's mishandling of the war.
"You like to pretend like the war started in 2007, you talk about the surge," said Mr Obama, who opposed the war from the start. "The war started in 2003."
Mr Obama called the Iraq war a distraction from the real terror threats, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "We took our eyes off the ball," he said.
But Mr McCain asserted, as he has before, that Iraq is the front line in the war against al Qa'eda, and more than once linked success there with success in Afghanistan. He said the same surge strategy used in Iraq should be applied to the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan.
One substantive difference on foreign policy came through when the candidates discussed their broad philosophies on diplomacy. Mr McCain criticised Mr Obama for saying earlier in the campaign that he would sit down with leaders hostile to the United States, such as Mr Ahmadinejad, "without preconditions".
"This is dangerous," Mr McCain said. "It isn't just naive, it's dangerous." Mr Obama, while since backtracking on his original remarks, stood by an approach that is much more inclusive.
"This notion that by not talking to people we are punishing them has not worked," he said, adding that he supports a "robust, direct diplomacy" with Iran.
Mr McCain warned a nuclear-armed Iran would be an "existential threat" to Israel that could create a "second Holocaust", and said the United States and its allies could impose "significant, meaningful, painful sanctions on the Iranians that could have a beneficial effect".
"The Iranians have a lousy government, therefore their economy is lousy, even though they have significant oil revenues," he said.
Mr Obama said he agreed on the scale of the Iranian threat, but said that, more than anything, Iran had been strengthened by the Iraq war.
The candidates will meet again next in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct 7, at a town hall-style debate, where the candidates will interact directly with voters. The third and final debate will be held on Long Island on Oct 15.
eniedowski@thenational.ae
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How%20champions%20are%20made
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
RACECARD%20
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
FA%20Cup%20semi-final%20draw
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Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Samau Xmnsor, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Ottoman, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Sharkh, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Yaraa, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Maaly Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Jinjal, Fabrice Veron, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Al Sail, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
ON%20TRACK
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
UAE%20SQUAD
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
If you go
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
