Just saw this article and I thought it might invoke some discussion. Entitled "2008 Called. It Wants to Know What Happened to Barack Obama", the article from John Cook describes Obama's zingers in Monday's debate as coming off as "unserious and jocular":
It should by no means be coming from the president of the United States, let alone one who promised to put away childish things. It's a dumb "zinger," transparently crafted to appeal to the Mark Halperins and Politicos of the world. That's not to say that humor has no place in political rhetoric or that Obama betrays his promise every time he deigns to insult his opponent. But to graft a pre-planned VH1 Best Week Ever-level joke onto a nationally televised discussion about life and death and our role on the world stage is scarcely less pathetic than the desperate flailings of the McCain campaign that I smugly scoffed at four years ago.
I think John's missing the point. It's campaign reality (perhaps unfortunate) that zingers are often the only way to get a point across through the filters of the MSM. And, Obama's been backing them up with facts. "Enjoy" the read.