Despite threats of cancellation, the first presidential debate went off without a hitch — technically speaking — Friday night. When it was all said and done, I came away thinking the debate was a draw. Sure, Barack Obama got in some good jabs, but John McCain did, too. It seemed inevitable that his many "Sen. Obama doesn't understand"s and allegations of naivete would resonate with voters who already felt iffy about the younger senator's foreign policy resume. The pundits pretty much agreed. It turned out not to be so, at least among independent voters. Poll after poll showed that after the debate, favorable views of Obama increased, and most uncommitted voters were more impressed with his performance than McCain's. It turns out the undecideds don't respond well to negativity, and the 40 minutes spent on the economy hurt McCain more than the foreign policy portion hurt Obama.