Milk Duds - Pretty much on the money. The main fear going into the 1st debate was that if O stuffed Romney as he would normally be expected to the Republican money men would pull a 'Dole' & divert Romney's allocated funds to their Senate races, thus leaving O w/ no Congressional power whatsoever after the election. It was likely the most risky political gambit ever attempted in a U.S. Presidential race...but it saved the day for the Democrats.
I was as depressed as the next guy after the first debate. But I never believed it was because Obama was tired, uninterested, or unprepared.
I believe it was a planned and thought-out strategy. His strategy. He was ahead in the polls and didn't want to cause a stir. He didn't want to come across as the angry (black) man to feed the racists. Also, no one could have expected that Romney would do a 180 on every previous position he held during the primaries.
So, yes he may have accepted some coaching after the first debate, but I'm sure that too, was his decision and I doubt he needed to be talked into it.
