The prevailing wisdom was that President Barack Obama would have to be more forceful in his second debate with GOP challenger Mitt Romney. Obama was, but Romney also was ready.
In the town hall-style debate at Hofstra University moderated by CNN's Candy Crowley, Obama and Romney quite literally found themselves standing toe-to-toe on several occasions.
Obama established a pattern early on of painting Romney as a flip-flopper, saying one thing in the Republican primary, but something different in the general election.
Romney, meanwhile, repeatedly returned to his criticism of Obama's handling of a sluggish economy.
The most spirited exchanged between the two men may have been when Romney implied that the president was more interested in raising money for his re-election campaign than for the victims of the embassy attack in Benghazi, Libya. Obama chastised Romney, calling the insinuation "offensive."
What was the highlight of the debate for you?
Watch the accompanying video as PalladianView.com publisher and former South Carolina GOP chair Karen Floyd recap the debate.