I haven’t really had time to write about the debates – and don’t really at this point either. But here are some quick thoughts:
I do believe it was a pretty well behaved debate. Though I prefer the open forum of just throwing a topic on the table and letting two (or more) people go at it – it was good to see the two candidates get up there and speak politely towards each other while expressing their wildly different approaches to national security.
I am disappointed in the President’s debating skills and stage presence. He did not do himself any favors up there. It’s rather worrisome to see his speaking ability decline over recent months – and that’s a shame. I truly believe that he has the better approach for Iraq and the Global War on Terrorism.
Anyways, I detract from my point. The President simply did not do well – at all. He did hit some good points – but he did not come across as confident. He also missed several opportunities to deliver some serious and hard-hitting blows on Kerry – and he failed to do it.
Kerry did well. While I strongly disagree with his approach on many issues – he spoke well, to the point, and attacked Bush where appropriate to do so had I been in his shoes.
There’s always discussion about who “won” the debate – and to me, that doesn’t really matter. The election is the ballgame here folks – the rest is just window dressing. To this day, I can’t remember who won what debate between Gore and Bush – but Bush won the election, and that’s that….
I am looking forward to the Vice Presidential debate Tuesday night – I am, of course, cheering for Cheney.