[SolomoninSouthDakota]

I watched it and I was frankly distressed not so much about missed opportunities or the "unpreparedness". I was distressed at how disturbed President Bush looked at many points when Kerry was spinning responses. I thought he would be more cool and collected and in command. That is how Kerry will be percieved as winnning the debate.

BUT! Kerry also failed because it appears he was trying desperately to completely turn the tables and on Pres. Bush by labeling him as a flip-flopper while portraying himself as steadfast. THAT WAS THE USED CAR PITCH THAT ABSOLUTELY FELL FLAT. COUPLE THAT WITH NOT HAVING GIVEN ANY DIFFERENT IRAQ PLAN AND HIS APPEARANCE AS SIMPLY A CRITIC AND BACKSEAT DRIVER AND JFK CLEARLY FAILED IN WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO IN THIS DEBATE. No fundamentals of the race are changed.

[Blogger]

It's the Bush Smirk. The people are used to it. It won't hurt him. I loved it but was saying "Dubya, watch your face..." LOL!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Peggy Noonah is giving some interesting comments.

[Solar Wind]

"I watched it and I was frankly distressed not so much about missed opportunities or the "unpreparedness". I was distressed at how disturbed President Bush looked at many points when Kerry was spinning responses. I thought he would be more cool and collected and in command. That is how Kerry will be perceived as winning the debate.

BUT! Kerry also failed because it appears he was trying desperately to completely turn the tables and on Pres. Bush by labeling him as a flip-flopper while portraying himself as steadfast. THAT WAS THE USED CAR PITCH THAT ABSOLUTELY FELL FLAT. COUPLE THAT WITH NOT HAVING GIVEN ANY DIFFERENT IRAQ PLAN AND HIS APPEARANCE AS SIMPLY A CRITIC AND BACKSEAT DRIVER AND JFK CLEARLY FAILED IN WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO IN THIS DEBATE. No fundamentals of the race are changed."

Good assessment. I was a bit troubled by how rattled Bush seemed in the first part of the debate. He did recover in the second half. He has a lot on his shoulders and he knows that the future of our country is riding on if he can win this election. That is a bigger burden than any of us has had to carry.

On the other hand I roared when Jim asked him "If Kerry wins..." and Bush shot back "Its not going to happen."

You clarified what Kerry was trying to do. It was quite an uphill climb for him to reverse perceptions and he did not pull it off. Bush, like a hedgehog stuck to his few points and hammered them home well.