On a scale of 0-10, Kerry was a 9 and bush was a 1.

[milkyway]

Kerry's temperament, mannerisms, and physical appearance were outstanding. He looked great--the tan was not an issue, and his hair was styled slightly differently than I've seen it and it looked great. His posture and mannerisms both on camera and during cutaways were excellent. The only time I saw Kerry struggle a bit was with the very first question. He was smart to thank the audience because this gave him a chance to steady his nerves. You could see him take a deep breath. Also, for an instant Kerry was unsure where to look. He turned his eyes from Lehrer and looked directly into the camera, but thankfully quickly turned back to Lehrer. Kerry was smart to look into the camera when giving his closing statement. He spoke directly to the American people and was very convincing that he was fully capable of being their leader.

Kerry seemed more "presidential" than any candidate I can ever remember. He was strong, forceful, and in total command of himself and the moment. The only thing keeping me from giving him a ten was he did not quite apply the hammer a couple of times when he had the opportunity. I especially wish that he had addressed his $87 billion war vote by saying that bush also changed his mind on that bill. bush first opposed it because it called for rolling back some of the tax cuts on the wealthy. Kerry only opposed the bill out of protest when bush refused to ask America's wealthiest citizens to also make a sacrifice for the war.

bush was able to rally to pull off a 1. From the very beginning of the debate bush was terrible in his body language. In his first answer bush reverted to his horrible habit of looking down, scrunching his shoulders slightly, turning up a corner of his mouth, and shaking his head back and forth. This gives the impression of a person who does not understand something and has given up trying to do so. He did this about a thousand times during his disastrous interview with Tim Russert. It's inconceivable that his handlers sent him out there tonight to do it all over again.

During every answer by Kerry bush acted like a whipped loser. He would purse his lips, raise his eyebrows and his eyes would bug out. By the ten minute mark he looked like he would go to pieces. By the twenty-four minute mark I did not think there was any way he could make it through the full ninety minutes. I actually was wondering what the procedure would be to stop the debate. It was downright embarrassing for our nation. But during the second half of the debate the pace slowed down considerably, and it seemed to allow bush time to hold himself together. There may have been a problem with bush's meds tonight--he seemed to swing wildly from wired up and angry to near comatose. They'll need to experiment further this week to find the proper dosage for a 90-minute debate.

[milkyway]

1. a shameless kick.

[Javaman]

2. Frankly, I think he's a number 2...

One of my favorite quotes from Murder by death.