The author couched that remark in terms of what Joe and Jane American -- folks who aren't political wonks like us -- would think after watching the debate. Remember, these are the people who have the attention span of puppies on crank. Hell, the most oft-repeated remark following the debate from the Man-on-the-Street is "Gee, Kerry didn't sound like a flip-flopper at all! And I like what he had to say!"
In other words, while you and I can see through Kerry's mumbo-jumbo, those who don't follow this race as closely will walk away with a more positive view of Kerry than Bush. And believe me, that is the last thing we need.
No, they will be remembering 'we did not need that tax cut' and 'global testing'