Obama's campaign assigned individual staff members to work the most influential bloggers, print reporters and television producers throughout the night. David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, was assigned to check in with the three major anchors, Katie Couric, Charles Gibson and Brian Williams.

The McCain campaign worked more of a zone offense, with individual staff members working different groups: "live bloggers," fact-checkers and the more traditional newspaper reporters and television producers.

Back in their main headquarters, each campaign had video producers preparing to seize on a moment to be blasted out for easy replay.

"We will be looking to accentuate the key, turning-point moments to emphasize our points," Bounds said in an interview outside his temporary war room here before the debate started.

Bounds believed he had found it an hour into the debate. After McCain told an anecdote about a woman who gave him the bracelet of her son who was killed fighting in Iraq, Obama responded, "I have a bracelet, too," then paused, briefly, before reciting the soldier's name.

"'Bracelet,' is the moment," Bounds wrote in an e-mail message. A YouTube clip followed minutes later.

Both campaigns emerged Saturday with evidence of their successes, including competing declarations of victory from various commentators and editorial boards.