The only person who thought Obama won the first debate was Obama, and only until he got offstage and started talked to advisors stunned to hear him say so.

I agree it probably will not change much, but in addition to being oily and breathless to Obamas measured firmness throughout, Romney was factually shredded. My favorite part was his assertion that Syria is Irans only route to the sea, which would be true if not for the Persian Gulf which is their longest border and NAMED AFTER THEM! Saying Detroit would have avoided bankruptcy thanks to private bailouts was good, too, though, since every private firm asked for a bailout—including Bain Capital—said they would not touch that with a ten foot pole with the economy in the mess it was in when Bush left office. Even were all that not true (though it undeniably is,) "me, too, but better" is no way to win a debate.

Romney got trounced, but it probably will not matter since 1) Obama was understood to have a big foreign policy edge, 2) most voters are far more concerned about the economy and 3) most impressions were made and cemented in the first debate.