[Professor S]

Pres. Obama's exchange with the House Republicans reminds us all just how effective a debater he really is. If I have the time, I love to do a communication study on his technique. So far his one big weapon is what I call the "Obama Chuckle", where when faced with a difficult question/challenge he laughs it off before answering. This is effective for two reasons:

1) It non-verbally dismisses the challenge by insinuating it's "silly" enough to garner a laugh.

2) It buys him a few moments to formulate an answer.

He is also very good at turning policy questions into personal questions. Example: When challenged on spending policies, he answered by criticizing the Republicans because some of them had attended ribbon cuttings for spending projects. The challenge and the answer have very little to do with one another, but it was none-the-less effective because it insinuates hypocrisy.

Overall, the Republicans need to learn from the 2008 election and this exchange. Pres. Obama is formidable in a debate regardless of his performance as President. They will need a wordsmith and agile mind of his equal in order to dethrone him in 2012. The only person who comes to mind that has that ability is Newt Gingrich and he is carrying a ton of personal baggage. Perhaps Paul Ryan, but I haven't heard enough from him and he is very young.