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ABC with Georgie Stephanopolous has on James Fallows of The Atlanta Monthly. I guess Fallows has written a long article on the debate and the two who will debate. Fallows says it's amazing how effective George Bush has been in all his debates by staying on message. Fallows comments on how effective Bush uses humor, he's not nasty, and how he reminds his opponent of what he said, drills the points home succinctly.

Fallows says of Kerry, he doesn't know how to give short, effective sentences. What Kerry excels at is sort of courtroom responses. (HA! I guess Fallows means "more nuanced".

On Bush's weak point:Fallows says Kerry should try to make Bush angry, that Bush gets rattled, looks testy when he's mad. (They show the clip of Bush v McCain in S.C. with Bush saying to McCain, "let me finish, let me finish)

On Kerry's weak point: Fallows says for Kerry to win, his team will have to come up with fresh, crisp answers on how Kerry will fight terrorism, and the war in IRaq, what he will do differently than what Bush is doing. And if Kerry can't do that, there's no reason to even have the debate.

the roundtable: Cokie Roberts says polls are tight, people are waiting to get to know Kerry, debate important. She points out how security moms are going for Bush.

Rahm Emanual says the debates have no presidential seal, no Hail To The Chief played , it's an immediate advantage for Kerry. A level playing field.

George Will says this week when Kerry found his voice, Kerry says the war is a great delusion. Will makes fun of Kerry saying "the world will come in to save us in Iraq".

LOL!!! George Will says Bush/Cheney wanted only one thing...they wanted this first debate to be about foreign policy. Will says, Kerry's message has been so mudddled, changed so many times, that George Bush should go out there and say, "give all my time to Kerry, he'll need it to explain what his Iraq posistion is.. IN other words, the more people see of Kerry, they less they trust him.