I waited until after the debate to post on FR so I would not see the rabble of critical thinkers we seem to have here.
Bush did well. He did exceptionally well during the first half of the debate.
The second half was not quite as good but it was enough to carry the debate in my opinion.
Kerry was typical Kerry. All talk and no substance.
He failed to explain any of his positions and further damaged his campaign by threatening cancellation of another weapons program and the stupid statements about N Korea.
Bush's closing was good and he lay-ed out his plans for Iraq in simple enough terms for any idiot to understand.
Kerry counters with "He has no plan".
I give the debate to Bush. 60/40!IMHO
That's great that you think Bush held his own. I hope most Americans (who were watching) see it the way you do.
That said, one of the things I like most about FR is that we don't sugar-coat (to use a popular Dem word) our feelings/opinions, even when they reflect poorly on our candidate. The fact that most FReepers think Bush did a poor job is telling. And no, I'm not a DU troll. I've been around here for a couple years.
But again, I do hope you're analysis lines up with people watching. :-)
I agree with you. In the first half hour the President I thought cut the legs out from under Kerry. He was forceful in reminding us how not only mixed messages but demeaning Allawi makes it impossible for Kerry to lead. The comeback about Kerry getting a global agreement on preemption was strong. I think some of us tend to worry at the moment. My take is that Kerry provided plenty of fodder for commercials over the next weeks. Kerry temporarily enlivened his base and that means we can expect them to get goofy again - they're emboldened. This is not a bad thing.