Thoughts on Debate #1

First...I must say I was incredibly bored with the debate tonight. In a few spots (as a friend of mine could attest), I wanted to go straight up policy debate mode and lay into Kerry...he left some holes a Hummer could have driven through...but that's just a gut personal reaction.

That being said...I'm officially scoring the debate a draw (which I believe is a win for Kerry...but that logic follows momentarily).

I believe that Bush trounced Kerry on the issues...but I don't think that's surprising. Given that Kerry has been unable to articulate a foreign policy position up until this point, Bush hammered him on the "He says he disagrees, but he did A, B, and C with the same info I did." Up until this point, that logic has stuck to Kerry and he hasn't been able to get rid of it...I'm not sure if he can redefine himself to get the charges to drop.

However, in something that really surprised me...I think Kerry destroyed Bush on the "character traits" of the debate. I've never seen Bush go so "attack dog" ever. Most people that were used to the calm, cool, and collected GWB from the debates a few years ago had to have been surprised by that. Kerry, on the other hand, came off completely in control. So if you're looking for those "intangibles," Kerry took it.

Like I said at the top...I think a draw is a win for Kerry, if for no other reason than the Kerry camp did a great job of lowering expectations for him. Foreign policy was supposed to be the turf that Bush owned on (and issues-wise, he did), so debating to a draw on Bush's strong point is the equivalent of a win.

All of this being said...I'm now of the opinion that it doesn't matter one stinking bit. Post-debate flash polls show peopel saying Kerry won the debate, but showed ZERO movement in the "who are you voting for?" poll. This country is divided, it's mind is made up...and it looks as if the debates are simply an academic exercise.