(AP Photo)

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – A national poll of people who watched the first presidential debate suggests that Barack Obama came out on top.

Fifty-one percent of those polled in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey of Americans who viewed the debate say that Obama won. Thirty-eight percent of those polled say that John McCain did the best job.

“According to our CNN survey, McCain and Obama both exceeded debate viewers’ expectations tonight,” noted CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib. “It can be reasonably concluded, especially after accounting for the slight Democratic bias in the survey, that we witnessed a tie in Mississippi tonight. But given the direction of the campaign over the last couple of weeks, a tie translates to a win for Obama. McCain is trailing right now; he needed a game changer. There are no indications he got that tonight.

Men were nearly evenly split between the two candidates, with 46 percent giving the win to McCain, and 43 percent to Obama. But women voters tended to give Obama higher marks: 59 percent thought he was the night’s winner, while just 31 percent said the same of McCain.

Both men did better than expected, according to those surveyed: 57 percent say Obama exceeded their expectations, and 60 percent said the same of McCain. One in five voters thought each man under-performed.

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Watch part one of the first presidential debate: Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama debate the financial crisis and foreign policy. (PHOTO CREDIT: AP PHOTO)

Rob Portman played the part of Obama in McCain's debate prep.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) — After days and days of denials that they had anyone playing Obama in debate prep sessions, two McCain campaign aides admitted to CNN they were using a stand-in for the Democratic nominee: former GOP congressman and OMB director Rob Portman.

Portman has been playing Obama in mock debates, including a two-hour session Thursday night in McCain's Virginia apartment, and one at an Oxford high school hours before tonight's debate.

Ironically, in 2000, Portman played Joe Lieberman in mock debates for then VP candidate Dick Cheney.

Now Lieberman is a close friend and supporter of McCain's, and a regular on the road with him.

Watch: McCain and Obama's differing viewpoints on the conflict in Iraq.

New York (CNN)–My bet is that Democrats will see this as an Obama victory and Republicans will say that McCain won — it was that kind of debate where there was no clear winner.

Watch: Sen. Joe Biden reacts to the debate

I would give each of the candidates an A- for the night. McCain started slow and sluggish on economic issues and then became steadily stronger as it moved into foreign affairs. He clearly has superior experience in international affairs. But Obama came strongly out of the gate, providing especially crisp answers on the bailout package, and I thought he held his own on foreign affairs.

The real question now is how undecided voters will come out. Stay tuned!

McCain said another attack like 9/11 is unlikely.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – John McCain said Friday another attack on the scale of the September 11, 2001, hijackings is "much less likely" now than it was the day after 9/11.

Watch: Is the U.S. vulnerable?

"America is safer now than it was on 9/11," he said, "But we have a long way to go before we can
declare America safe."

Watch: Candidates discuss broader impact of fighting in Iraq

Barack Obama, his Democratic rival for the White House, agreed that the United States is "safer in some ways," but said the country needed to focus more on issues such as nuclear non-proliferation and restoring America's image in the world.

Full story

Obama wants the U.S. to reevaluate relations with Moscow.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – Sen. Barack Obama called Friday for reevaluating the United States approach to Russia in light of the country's recent military action in the Caucaus.

Watch: Candidates discuss military strategy

"You cannot be a 21st-century superpower and act like a 20th-century dictatorship," he said at his first presidential debate against Sen. John McCain.

(AP Photo)

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) — Iranian nuclear weapons would be an "existential threat to the state of Israel" and would encourage other countries in the Middle East to seek nuclear weapons as well, Sen. John McCain said Friday at his first presidential debate against Sen. Barack Obama.

"We cannot allow another Holocaust," he said.

Obama agreed that the United States "cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran," calling for tougher sanctions from a range of countries including Russia and China.

McCain called for a new "league of democracies" to stand firm against Iran.

He blasted Obama for being willing to meet "without preconditions" with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeated threatened Israel.

But Obama defended his stance, saying: "I reserve the right as president of the United States to meet with anyone at the time and place of my choosing if I think it's going to keep the American people safe."

McCain has taken a tough stance on Iran.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – Iranian nuclear weapons would be an "existential threat to the state of Israel" and would encourage other countries in the Middle East to seek nuclear weapons as well, Sen. John McCain said Friday at his first presidential debate against Sen. Barack Obama.

"We cannot allow another Holocaust," he said.

McCain and Obama trade attacks over Iraq.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama disagreed sharply over Iraq at their first presidential debate on Friday, drawing starkly different lessons from the controversial war.

"We should never hesitate to use military force … to keep the American people safe," McCain, an Arizona Republican, argued. "But we have to use our military wisely and we did not use our military wisely in Iraq."

The next president will have to decide when and how to leave Iraq and what the United States will leave behind, McCain said.

But he said the United States was now winning thanks to a great general and a new strategy.

"Senator Obama refuses to acknowledge that we are winning in Iraq,"McCain said of his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama.Obama responded: "That's not true, that's not true."

He blasted McCain as having been wrong about the initial phase of the war, saying McCain had failed to anticipate the uprising against U.S. forces and violence between rival religious groups in the country.

"At the time when the war started, you said it was quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were," Obama said, citing the key White House policy justifying the 2003 invasion.

"You were wrong. You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong," he said.

McCain wants to freeze government spending.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – Sen. John McCain, the Republican candidate for president, said Friday he would seriously consider freezing all government spending except for defense and care of veterans.

Sen. Barack Obama, his Democratic opponent, said that would be "using a hatchet where you need a scalpel."

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN)– Obama's health care theme is a good one. It's becoming a more and more important issue with Americans. McCain is counterattacking, calling Obama's proposals Hillarycare.

But neither candidate wants to talk about any serious reductions or cuts they would make as president because of the expensive proposed federal bailout. The moderator is trying to bring it out of them with out any luck.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) — Poor Jim Lehrer: he can't get either of these candidates to say which of their promises they will have to postpone because of the $700 billion bailout and general bad condition of the economy. Candidates rarely promise to cut programs…

(CNN)–The Iraq section is excellent. There are clear differences here, and voters get to choose.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – Sen. John McCain accused Sen. Barack Obama, his rival for the White House, of planning to hand the nation's health care system over to the federal government

Obama is looking at the financial crisis as something he warned about two years ago. He's also talking about regulation. Americans don't like regulation but they do like to keep an eye on wall street.

(CNN)–The candidates have fundamental difference on Iraq. This is why we have a debate. A very strong answer by Obama on Iraq. His best moment in the debate so far.

(CNN)–Obama continues to tie the financial crisis to the philosophy of the governoring of this country the past eight years, aka President Bush.

McCain is blaming those who've abused the process.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama tangled over who would cut taxes more as they took the stage for their first presidential debate Friday.

Watch: McCain and Obama discuss taxes

McCain said he would lower business taxes in order to encourage job growth in the United States, while Obama said he would cut taxes for 95 percent of American families.

Sens. McCain and Obama discussed their economic differences Friday.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for president, said Friday the United States was facing its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

His opponent, Sen. John McCain, said he was encouraged that Republicans and Democrats were working together to solve the crisis.

Watch: Sen. Obama lays out his plans to help boost the economy

He said government spending had to be brought under control to help avert it. He blasted lawmakers' personal spending requests, known as "earmarks," and vowed as president to veto spending bills that contained them.

Obama agreed the earmarks process was flawed, but argued they were a small budget issue compared to the size of McCain's proposed tax cuts.

Watch: Sen. McCain talks about his plans to fix the economy

Obama refused to be pinned down on whether he would support a $700 billion plan proposed by President Bush's top economic advisors, saying the final details of the proposal were not yet known.

McCain said he hoped to be able to vote for it.

They were answering the first question at their first presidential debate.

McCain said he was encouraged that Republicans and Democrats were working together.

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for president, said Friday the United States was facing its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

His opponent, Sen. John McCain, said he was encouraged that Republicans and Democrats were working together to solve the crisis.

Watch: Candidates debate bailout

Obama refused to be pinned down on whether he would support a $700 billion plan proposed by President Bush's top economic advisors, saying the final details of the proposal were not yet known.

McCain said he hoped to be able to vote for it.

They were answering the first question at their first presidential debate.