Eleventy-Dimensional Debating?

I know that a lot of liberal pundits felt like Romney dominated the debate last night and won as a result, but I think Romney dominated and kind of lost a bit as a result.

This is what I think he might have looked like to many people in the home (non-pundit) viewing audience:



And there are some numbers backing that up--independents actually favored Obama's performance.

It's true, Obama didn't come on as strong as he could, and didn't counter Romney's many myths (or whoppers, if you prefer).  But was it an instance of being under-prepared, or was it....strategery? I kind of agree with my Rumproastian colleague that this could have been a rope-a-dope tactic on Obama's part, and that in any event, this victory doesn't do an awful lot for Romney. I think there's a lot going for that theory, actually.

For one thing, leading up to the debate, there was some back and forth on both sides to minimize expectations.  By "losing" the first debate, Obama just lowered the heck out of expectations for himself. For another, if Romney is going to make a gaffe, it's going to be one based in overconfidence--and by being allowed to basically spin, fold, and mangle the facts at will, he'll be feeling mighty perky walking into the next debate. Also, there's something to be said for pulling punches--it maximizes the effect when one finally lets someone have it.

So, all things considered, I'm not particularly worried about what I saw last night. But I know I can be an almost cartoon-version of an Obot, sometimes, so take it with a grain.