Instant Presidential Debate 2 Reaction

Style: Bush was aggressive and certain. Kerry was angry and uncertain.

Substance: Bush strongly defended his positions and made significant gains on Kerry. His lowest point was the "Name 3 Mistakes" question - he would not name one - but the question itself was in the same grain as "When did you stop beating your wife." Kerry worked hard to keep up with the new Bush attacks, but made good points. We have made a lot of fun of this man for his "nuances" but he did a decent job of showing both sides of an issue.

Presidential: In Primary Colors (book) it was said the man who wins a Presidential debate is the one who looks most presidential. Bush looked like a president and a leader. Kerry looked like a strong defender, who could well be a statesman.

Moderator: Wow, was Charlie Gibson bad. I am sure that he had a prompter in his ear, and I hope his producer reminded him occasionally that this was a debate and not an interview. Several times, he took control of the debate over not rules, but his own opinions. If this man is allowed to moderate again, the Comission on Presidental Debates is insane.

Overall: Good for both debaters, better for Bush. Bad for the moderator, and a few of the questioners who seemed, uh, let's just say less than presidential.