Oh, I absolutely get it. As my good buddy Mr. Spock once said, "It is not a lie to keep the truth to oneself." In other words, when necessary, play your cards close to the vest.
The first debate is an excellent example of this. Yes, Bush underperformed. Yes, he was flustered; yes, he looked confused; yes, he looked tired; no, he did not communicate his message effectively enough.
But instead of going before the media and admitting "Yeah, our guy kinda blew it on that one," Republicans ought to be playing up other truths of the debate: namely, that slick-talking John Kerry managed to contradict himself several dozen times, sometimes within the same sentence (Lehrer: "Would you choose bilateral or multilateral talks with N. Korea?" Kerry: "I choose both!!!"), while George W. Bush carried an entirely consistent message of strength and resolve about the most important issue in the election, by a mile. Or that George Bush came across as a warm and friendly regular-guy, while every time John Kerry grinned his chin seemed to grow at least a foot.
Loose lips sink ships!!!
-Dan