I only saw a few minutes of it but I thought Bush looked and sounded good. These things aren't "won" by playing by debate-club rules - supposedly Richard Nixon "won" the debates with JFK this way but it didn't work for him. It's who makes the better impression.
Kerry sounded like a gasbag with lots of factoids and little wisdom.
Unless there was a major collapse I didn't see, it looked like W was handling himself well.
Initial reactions are that Kerry was polished, slick and presidential and Bush seemed to lack confidence. But as time passes, the substance of the debates comes into focus. With no zingers apart from Bush' retort to Krry's "global test" gaffe, the lingering waft of the debate will reveal that Kerry didn't score too much. Not even many pedants like pedantry.
"Kerry sounded like a gasbag with lots of factoids and little wisdom."
I agree. He sounded "blah, blah, blah." What is his plan for Iraq, again?
Pres. Bush, even in his inarticulate moments, stayed on message and hammered away on Kerry being too inconsistent (flip-flop) to be a CIC.