Did Laherer lie when he said no one knew what the questions would be when he started the debate?????
Did Kerry have the answers ready for the camera?????????
His quick and confident answers says he knew the questions. I don't care how smart you are. When you are asked a question, there is a delay for your brain to process the information; hence Bush'es pauses.
Kerry is infamous for his nuances, yet his answers were timed perfectly to fit into the 2 minute time frame allowed. There was no hesitation when he answered. Not just once, but time and again. When anyone hears a question for the first time it takes time to process the information received and then to formulate an answer. Kerry answered almost immediately after hearing the questions. Again, not just once, but almost every time.
Here's my (tin foil hat?) theory. Kerry did get the questions, long before the debate. Long enough before the debate to generally memorize his answers. The questions were numbered and so were his responses. The black pen he removed from his jacket pocket was actually a small bunch of cards with a short synopsis of his "spontaneous" answers (just a reminder) with each card having the corresponding number to the question that would be asked. As each question was asked all he would have to do would be to glance at the card to remind him of the "lines" he had memorized. Perhaps just some sort of shorthand reminder. Next question, next card.
He knew there would be no followup from the moderator and anything President Bush said as a followup could be met with a feint (read lie).
Keep in mind that when senators give speeches on the senate floor they generally have them memorized, and just glance at their notes occasionally.
Too much risk for the reputation of PBS and the DNC to have either party approach the other, and not enough upside. The specific questions wouldn't matter that much anyway. The main subject was going to be Iraq, and both canidates had their talking points.