Debate Analysis: How Did They Perform?
Update: Forget the pundits. You be the pundit. What did you think? I thought Kerry Ace'd it. I thought Bush was a mess. His final scripted closing showed just how off he was during the actual debate. Bottom line: Kerry soared, Bush flailed around.
Update: John King on Aaron Brown: Bush's campaign is admitting he lost tonight--he's not a good debater. One aide told him the best thing about the debate is being able to check the box that it's over. Of course, his aides also said debating skills are not as important as Bush's message.
Candy Crowley on Aaron Brown: Aaron asked, "Where between 1 and 10, with 1 being totally depressed and 10 being off-the-charts giddy, is Kerry's campaign tonight?" Answer: between 8 and 9.
Update: The split-screen is a big topic. Even the Fox pundits are saying Bush's demeanor was poor--one called him sour-looking. CNN pundits said the same. On CNN, they also praised Kerry's demeanor and said his supporters will be happy tonight and he was as Presidential-looking as Bush.
Markos of Daily Kos sums up, with thoughts similar to those I've expressed in various posts tonight:
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