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 ...

The Mac is back  —  John McCain was very lucky that he decided to show up for the first presidential debate in Oxford, Miss., Friday night.  Because he gave one of his strongest debate performances ever.  —  While Barack Obama repeatedly tried to link McCain to the very unpopular George W. Bush …

“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.”

“John Was Right”  —  Last night, the fact that Obama said that McCain was right on several occasions caused consternation among some liberals, and great rejoicing on the right.  I didn't agree.  It would have been one thing had Obama not also been willing to say, forcefully, that he thought McCain was wrong.

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:

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.

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 …

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 …

Palin on CBS  —  I've been swamped with other stuff, but just for the record: I thought Palin was dreadful.  She obviously didn't have the reaction to the Charlie Gibson interview that I had hoped.  She had better be better prepared for next week or she risks damaging her political brand forevermore.

Palin grabs a seat at the bar  —  Perhaps it was coincidence that the song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” was playing as Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin worked the crowd at the Irish Pub last night.  —  But her amorous fans were definitely ready to let the moose-hunting Alaska governor rule.

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.