Debate notes and thoughts

It looked like Bush was happy to be there, a stark contrast from the first debate. He was enthusiastic from the word "Go", and for Bush supporters, it was a blessing. Had he performed like this in the first debate, the contest may have been over at that point.

Kerry was on the defensive a lot, and he threw out a lot of numbers and factoids...ad nauseum. I must concede that a few points I thought were well delivered, such as the assault weapons ban and letting people buy in to the health plan. NO, I did not agree with his positions, only his delivery of them. Alas, many Americans value style over substance. Kerry delivered on style at times, but not nearly as often as he did in the two prior debates.

Bush was more aggressive this time than ever before, using the "liberal Senator from Massachussetts" line quite (pardon the term) liberally. Finally, he pointed out Kerry's anemic voting record, two decades of irrelevancy in the Senate. I was glad to hear an actual number of Kerry legislative passages: 5. Of those, 4 were resolutions. So, he's had one bill with his name on it as a chief or co-sponsor...in 20 years! And that is reason to be elected President?

It appears, by all measures, to be a clear and decisive debate win for the president. Time will tell how this translates to the polls. Too bad many Americans were tuned in to the baseball playoffs...not sure how much of a difference it will make, though.

Thoughts?