Both candidates did a stellar job for the second presidential debate, but I think Obama was slightly better. He had a much better grasp of details in this round, and he was able to parry Romney’s attacks effectively. The body language on both sides was very, very aggressive. Notice the puffing out of chests, the chins tilted upward, the circling around one another like pit bulls in a ring. Yikes. If the occasion was a conference speech or presentation, I would advise these guys to tone down their body language, but this is a presidential debate, and American audiences like to see aggression from their candidates.

I still think Romney comes across as a bit too strident. Both candidates interrupted each other, but I think how Romney interrupts is off-putting; jabbing sharply with his hands, moving quickly into the President’s personal space, etc. There are ways of being assertive without coming across as angry.

So what do you think?

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