Round 1 in debates goes to Obama, poll says  —  OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) — A national poll of people who watched the first presidential debate suggests that Barack Obama came out on top, but there was overwhelming agreement that both Obama and John McCain would be able to handle the job of president if elected.

Paul Newman, a Magnetic Titan of Hollywood, Is Dead at 83  —  Paul Newman, one of the last of the great 20th-century movie stars, died Friday at his home in Westport, Conn. He was 83.  —  The cause was cancer, said Jeff Sanderson of Chasen & Company, Mr. Newman's publicist.

SO ANGRY  —  McCain's unwillingness to make eye contact with Obama through the debate seems to be getting picked up by a lot of observers.  Here's an interesting exchange on the subject between Chris Matthews and the Post's Eugene Robinson ...  Here's one comment we got from TPM Reader EO ...

“Horses**t”: Correction  —  I've removed the original post of a little time ago because after listening to the clip about two dozen times, what sounded like McCain saying “horses**t” actually comes through as having a hard “c” at the front of it.  My husband insists that McCain said “Course not.”

A Genuine and Immediate Crisis  —  What Congress has to do now.  —  I've received phone calls in the last hour from two economists I respect, one of them Larry Lindsey, the other in a position where he'd prefer not to be named.  Both have government experience, neither is alarmist by nature, and they say this:

RUNNING MATES AS SURROGATES.... After a debate, campaigns generally want high-profile figures telling the media how great their candidate did.  And as a rule, it's hard to top the running mates as high-profile figures.  —  It was pretty interesting, then, that the Obama campaign was anxious …

How McCain Stirred a Simmering Pot  —  When Sen. John McCain made his way to the Capitol office of House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) just past noon on Thursday, he intended to “just touch gloves” with House Republican leaders, according to one congressional aide …

Gallup Daily: Obama Holds 5-Point Lead  —  Momentum in his favor going into debate  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama leads John McCain, 49% to 44%, when registered voters are asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.

The SNL Skit & Focus Groups  —  It's hard to guess what, exactly, the SNL skit will look like.  I think the press is congealing around the (erroneous) idea that Obama won precisely because that's what the focus groups seem to be saying, or at least what the focus groups are saying allows …

Obama's Emotional Deficit  —  I'd guess the CW will be that McCain won on points, with nothing close to a knockout, and I'd echo that judgment.  McCain had Obama on the defensive over earmark requests and his $800 billion in new spending, then later on the surge and those rogue-leader meetings.

A Crisis Primer  —  David Harsanyi, writing for the Denver Post: … Harsanyi goes on to embed the “Burning down the House” video (on my suggestion: I have incredible pull with the mainstream press, provided I don't charge for my services), which I believe everyone should watch …