Debate recap
When you watch an event, your impression is usually shaped by what you saw, combined with what the media says you saw. On occasion, your conclusion and the media's are the same. That's what happened last night.

Even the most hardcore Bush supporter is having a hard time claiming their man won last night. Bush's body language was awful; he came across as petulant and simply bothered to be there. He squirmed like his body was possessed by aliens.

If possible, his rhetoric was worse.

How can a sitting President struggle to fill up two minutes of airtime answering a question? I know Bush is not an academic or a historian, but shouldn't the Commander-In-Chief be able to talk for two whole minutes about the subject that is supposed to be his strong point?

And Bush, more than once, asked for extra time to speak and had nothing to say.

During this closing arguments, I said the media spin was going to be "Kerry needed a knockout and didn't exactly get one." Sure enough, minutes later, Tim Russert said pretty much the same thing.

Can someone tell me what the hell a debate knockout is? Does one guy have to either cry, roll up in a fetal ball, or crawl across the stage to kiss the other guy's feet?

The final analysis? People who support Kerry are sticking with him and Bush supporters aren't going to abandon their guy either. Forget about the committed voters. Put yourself in the boots of an undecided voter expecting a windsurfing, Jane Fonda-loving, Massachusetts elitist. Instead what they saw was a smart guy who looked a helluva lot more presidential than the guy who currently holds the office.