Debate Analysis

I think Kerry did well enough to change a few votes, not many but a few. I think Bush missed numerous opportunities to verbally whack Kerry upside the dome and didn't. Bush had too many pregnant pauses and not enough spunk to win in convincing fashion.

Some major mistakes by both:

First Kerry:

In answer to a question from Lehrer (in tonight's debate) Kerry - as if to PROVE his LONGTIME foreign policy experience, and his superior foreign policy knowledge - recounted how he had (with former Senator Smith (R-NH)) gone down into the bowels of the former KGB under TREBLINKA SQUARE.ONE PROBLEM: Treblinka was the name of a NAZI EXTERMINATION CAMP.The KGB was on Lubyankaya Square.How could a presidential candidate - with Jewish heritage - confuse the name of a DEATH CAMP WITH ANYTHING ELSE!?!?!?!?!?

Now Bush:

Kerry's best moment came when President Bush attacked one of his biggest weaknesses:
Bush: [He says] help is on the way, but it's certainly hard to tell it when he voted against the $87 billion supplemental to provide equipment for our troops, and then said he actually did vote for it before he voted against it. Not what a commander in chief does when you're trying to lead troops.
Kerry: Well, you know, when I talked about the $87 billion, I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?
Very clever indeed. Kerry recast the criticism as being about his rhetorical shortcomings, thereby diverting attention from the substantive question, namely his vote against funding the troops.

I'll have more thoughts later. Now we get to look forward to Cheney whipping the hell out of the lawyer Edwards on Tuesday.