who was the master debater?

I imagine factcheck.org's debate coverage is relevant though I doubt the link will work until tomorrow.

Here's Andrew Sullivan's live blogging of the debate.

And the perpetual reminder--

The presidential election debates haven't been sponsored by a non-partisan group since 1987.

--
on the financial "crisis"

It's probably a good idea to be wary when your government keeps pushing though legislation as fast as they can whenever we supposedly face a crisis. How's that been working out for us so far? Patriot Act, Iraq, Katrina, and now the financial bailout? I don't think "the decider" should be given the opportunity to decide things any more, especially not in a time of crisis.

I also don't think it hurts to take a look at Naomi Klein's take on using crisis to push through political agendas (wikipedia).