I wonder if the first debate wasnt strategery. How many times have we seen the president misunderestimated and then he comes swinging. He was tired, no doubt in the first debate, and there were rules that he had to follow, plus the side by side TV option was supposed to be invalid. Plus the bar was lowered where Kerry had to really perform to keep up his facade from the first debate and he probably thought he could coast easy. Bush really showed it to him that the best defense is offense and the zingers proved it.
I especially liked it when Bush ran over the debate moderator. The moderators in a town hall debate is not supposed to interfere with candidates rebuttals.
I think the first debate was just a mistake. It was not "strategery". Bush had the momentum going into it, and if he had trounced Kerry then, he could have put away the election right then and there. This way he has to continue to fight every step of the way until election day.
The problem was that they convinced Bush that he "must not attack". That was very poor advice.
Bush MUST "attack", i.e. point out the truth, that Kerry IS UNFIT to be president both due to his record and lack thereof, and his character.
LOOK at Kerry's record: 20 years in the Senate, as one of 100, NO leadership position, or any demonstrated leadership ability. Most Presidents at least have been governors before, had some responsibility, they at least ran a state. Just this alone should make anyone very doubtful about putting Kerry in as president, when we already have a seasoned President, who proved himself during the most critical times.
THEN, add to that, Kerry's actual record:
All Kerry did is sit in the Senate and cast so many liberal votes, that he became THE most liberal Senator in the entire Senate, voting against defense systems, against intelligence budget and FOR tax increases.
That's like saying the Yankees lost the first game to the Twins to lull them into a false sense of security. Had the President done two weeks ago, what he did last night, Hillary would be starting her 2008 campaign with McCauliffe as her manager.