AND THE WINNER IS.....

By News Networks

With no major gaffes, stumbles or snafus made by Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. John McCain during the second presidential debate, neither candidate won hands down.

There were no fireworks, no major water cooler moments. Even though the debaters traded testy jabs over the economy, the Drudge Report went so far as to label the debate "boring." At first glance, it might seem this duel was a draw.

A snap shot of the Drudge Report.

Nevertheless, there is a growing consensus among the pundits that McCain lost the debate, not because of what he did but because of what he didn't do: He didn't create the game-changing moment his campaign needed to alter the trajectory of the race.

With McCain lagging in the polls, Politico's Alexander Burns sums up why Obama gets the "W" next to his name:

Obama didn't deliver a knockout punch tonight. But he denied his opponent the chance to rescramble the campaign, and that was enough. The day goes to him.

The Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post all concur, in their own way. This snoozefest created a winner because no one won at all.

There were a few in the media who focused more on the apparent tie. Mark Halperin at Time gave McCain a B and Obama a B+. Of McCain, he wrote:

The Republican nominee was by turns aggressive, sensitive, conservative and conversational. Successfully presented a negative case against Obama with an upbeat, optimistic smile.

Ultimately though, Halperin echoed the general consensus:

[Obama] played it typically cautious and safe, and thus avoided major blunders, knowing if he commits no errors for the next 30 days, he will be the next president of the United States.

Even if you don't put much stock in the talking heads, consider what non-media types said. Each candidate stood his ground, looking comfortable in the town-hall setting, yet the insta-polls showed the same opinion: Obama won.

Courtesy: AP

In the CBS poll, 40 percent of uncommitted voters said Obama won. Twenty-six percent said John McCain won, while 34 percent said it was a tie.

Over at CNN, Obama fared even better in the poll: 54 percent said he did a better job, 30 percent gave it to McCain.

Despite those numbers, this isn't all bad news for McCain. The CBS poll did have a silver lining -- respondents still see McCain as more prepared for the job (83 percent to 58 percent).

The other good news for the Arizona senator: there is about a month left in the campaign. That's enough time for him to find the game-changer he is looking for.

Top moments from the second presidential debate

It wasn't the soundbite-fest of the Biden-Palin debate last week, but the second encounter between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain did have its share of key moments. We distill the candidates' exchanges on the economy and foreign policy, as well as moderator Tom Brokaw's valiant efforts to maintain control over the clock.

McCain's debate low light?

During an exchange over energy policy in Tuesday night's debate, Sen. McCain referred to Sen. Obama as "that one." The Obama campaign immediately latched onto the remark, sparking a post-debate discussion. Here's the quote:

Debate wrap-up: Who made the grade?

In the second of three debates between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, the rules of the town-hall format were established ... and quickly tossed out the window. As audience members put forth questions, culled by moderator Tom Brokaw, the candidates roamed the stage and picked apart each other's campaign promises.