[teletech]

Summary of Ketchup Boy's plan - "I'll do everything backwards. I'll go unilaterally to North Korea and bail out of Iraq because the Frogs and Krauts won't jump in."

Slight problem - what happens when NK bails out of the bilateral talks (unless, of course, F'em gives Krazy Kim Seattle)?

I've never heard a man use so many words, in 90 minutes, to say abosolutely NOTHING in my life! Kerry said he had a plan for Iraq. WHAT PLAN!? WHERE were the details? Drop Iraq flat to handle North Korea? Is THAT the plan? The Kerry dog and pony show for 90 LOOOOONG minutes!

[steveegg]

Put scare quotes around "handle" and you got it. If Kerry were President, when push comes to shove (and it will), North Korea will get everything it wants, including Seattle.

[gswilder]

MY take is this..... Bush did a pretty good job overall. He stayed on message and got in most of his key points. They were simple and short for the most point. But understandable by all Americans. The Bush closing was very good. I'd give it an A. Kerry's closing was a C+ at best. I had trouble following what Kerry what trying to say many times. So many fine points he was trying to make. He basically said the same thing he has been saying for months now. Nothing new that I saw.

Yes, I was disappointed that Bush was not more aggressive. I thought he could have hit Kerry hard on several points but didn't. My feeling is that Bush and company were just trying to "run out the clock". They feel they have this wrapped up as long as Bush doesn't get the PM of England wrong or something. Whether this is good strategy or not, time will tell. I do think you will see a different Bush in the next 2 debates. All this does is keep Kerry in the game a while longer. The polls may tighten somewhat, but I would not be surprised to see Bush's lead extend the next week.

I was here in 2000, and didn't think Bush did a good job in the 1st debate either. However, that was the debate that started the turning of the election to Bush, so who knows. I doubt in the end, many undecideds were influenced either way. Overall a draw. Of course we wanted a Bush knockout. The media will be orgasmic on how well Kerry did. Of course they were like that after the DNC, and we saw what the public thought.