One debate does not a win make

Yea, I agree with the majority of Americans who watched the Bush-Kerry debate - Kerry won that first one. The president looked ill-prepared and seemed to fumble with spontaneous emotional answers that he couldn't hide.

Bush looked positively pissed off at certain points in the exchange. But I must say, it's a misnomer to call these Q&A sessions a debate since there's no true interchange between the candidates. But I thought Lehrer did a masterful job of hedging the rules when he allowed the candidates to respond to one another's talking points for 30 seconds. I don't know if that was in the rules (I didn't hear anything like that before the debates when the pundits were explaining how the forum would work) but it allowed, at least, some sense of direct exchange rather than a totally scripted event.

And I think that's where Bush went off the rails - he was prepared for a scripted event, not for anything akin to debating Sen. Kerry about decisions and policies.

And so it goes.

It's Sunday and I'm off from work, and I'm about to go to Jason's Deli for a sandwich and then visit with my lady friend, D.

Hope you vote!

Best wishes to all.