Some praised Barack Obama's “;vision”; while others were impressed with John McCain's promise of victory in Iraq, but Americans watching the second presidential debate, whether in a crowded tavern in McCain Country in Arizona or a quiet Midwestern living room, said they saw no knockout punch.

Across the country, voters gathered in school lounges, restaurants, bars and their homes to watch the town hall debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. The meeting took place just four weeks from Election Day amid an increasingly bitter campaign.

The debate focused on the troubled economy, health care and other domestic issues as well as foreign policy. For one longtime Republican in the swing state of Ohio, Obama's performance last night was enough to push him into the Democratic senator's column.

“;I think Obama won, big time,”; said Ed Ruszkiewicz, 62, a retired physician in Toledo, Ohio, who re-registered this year as a Democrat. “;When Obama spoke he had some depth to it, and he seems to have a vision of what he wants to do and he can explain it well - much better than what I think he had done before. I was just very impressed.”;

Ruszkiewicz felt that while Obama landed “;a lot of little punches”; there was no “;knockout punch”; by either senator.

Another Ohio voter still hasn't made up his mind. Thomas Henige, a 71-year-old retired computer consultant from North Royalton, a Cleveland suburb, said his slight leaning toward McCain has disappeared though he's not sold on Obama.

“;I felt we were watching people interviewed for two different jobs: Obama for president, and McCain for secretary of defense,”; he said.

But there were no such doubts for Mike Kiepke, 62, and his wife, Judy, 65, who were among a crowd of about 50 patrons gathered at Tom's Tavern in downtown Phoenix, Ariz. The couple cheered the Arizona senator, especially when he insisted that American troops would return home from Iraq victorious.

“;He's doing wonderful,”; said Kiepke, a retired school maintenance worker and Vietnam veteran. “;He's very strong, clear and concise. He's got a real command of the subjects tonight.”;

But restaurant manager Gabriel Delavara, 35, another Tom's patron, saw no decisive rhetorical blow.

“;You hear, 'The gloves are off,' but it was a lot more refined than that,”; he said, adding there was “;nothing groundbreaking in this debate.”;

At the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., there were divided opinions among several dozen students who gathered in a lounge to watch the debate.

Brandon Holt, 29, thought Obama was the clear winner though he said the 90-minute debate lacked “;electricity.”;

Holt supports Obama but felt McCain fared better than he had in the first debate. “;The setting better fit McCain,”; he said. “;He didn't look like a crotchety curmudgeon. He almost seemed like a guy that you could, in a sense, like.”;

With the economy foremost on many voters' minds, some were especially interested in what the candidates had to say about financial issues.

Ernso August, a 28-year-old nursing student at the Florida school, laughed when McCain discussed his economic policy. “;Sen. McCain is really for the elite, not for the middle class,”; he said. “;Eighty percent of the population is middle class and that's what we've got to focus on.”;