To win last week’s debate, Senator McCain needed to hit on his ability to handle “the system” regardless of his recent analysis that the fundamentals of the American economy are strong. While he made the point that these fundamentals will be fixed by those in the grassroots of the economy, it seemed that all Senator McCain wanted to talk about was pork barrel spending; unfortunately for the Arizona senator’s campaign, Senator Barack Obama pushed more ideas out than McCain defended. Obama’s campaign has been surrounding change and hope-something that these pushed ideas from Senator Obama are proving.

Obama hit the point he needed in order to win last week’s debate: crossing the ever-so-blue Democratic border and working with blood-red Republicans. When McCain labeled Obama as the most liberal Democratic, the Illinois senator didn’t deny his liberalism but instead made the point that he is working on the Senate floor with the Republican Party’s most conservative senator.

Additionally, the case that Barack Obama had to make last week was that he is prepared; that he is ready to fight for America, and that he is ready to fight for the American economy. For Senator McCain, he needed to falsify Obama’s claim that the Arizona senator is unable to handle more than one issue at a time. Unfortunately for Senator McCain, Obama won the debate by proving McCain wrong in this aspect alone.

While Senator Obama may have wanted to attack McCain’s recent ad campaigns that have hit him negatively, he maintained his integrity by stating his positive politics: Obama’s tax plan will be lowered for 95% of working, middle-class families. Thankfully, McCain’s integrity was continuous as he used little reference to his usual attack campaign.

There is nothing but praise deserved for a man like Senator McCain; but what America needs is a president-not a general. All throughout last week’s debate, Senator Obama spoke more like a president, while John McCain spoke more like a military general. And that is why Obama won last week’s debate.