Anyone else watch the Gore/Bush debate on CSPAN?

[Norquist Nemesis]

It was on at 9ET tonight.

I watched Bush performance as closely as possible. He threw nasty attacks at Gore and kept hitting him, including the Gore fundraising 'scandal'. He also kept hitting home a message of "you've had eight years to do something" (medicare especially).

Gore's numbers were right on target with saying 50% of Bush's tax cuts would go to the wealthiest 1%. All of the things Gore said was wrong with Bush's plans were right on target. Gore also used "that's the wrong choice" a lot.

What I was trying to watch closest was Bush's style. He looked straight into the camera with each and every word he spoke...it really was as if he was talking to noone else except a single person (one on one). He had command of the moderator (Lehrer), too. When the moderator would open his mouth and Bush was talking, he held up a his finger in a commanding way and Lehrer just stopped. A third of the way through, it was obvious Lehrer was throwing it toward Bush. (No wonder why Gore was sighing in frustration).

What Gore had to "say" was ten times better, but Bush's "performance" was right on target.

This is what we're going to see this coming Thursday. I am so hoping Kerry talks to the people in the camera...not the audience. I hope he doesn't even look at the moderator. It's the people viewing that are important. And I also hope he hits back at the nasty one-liners Bush is going to throw. Not throw them first, because the talking heads will start the echo chamber immediately saying "all he did was attack the CIC...what a traitor!" But to defintely hit back tit-for-tat each time Bush does it.

Something like when Bush says "My opponent voted for then against the $87" (and we all know that's coming), for Kerry to say, "The President and his administration have a habit of distorting things to the American people. He forgot to mention that he threatened veto on the bill."

Also, I hope that Kerry says "the President and his administration" as much as possible. This is going to remind everyone that it's also the people he's put in charge. The same one's that he has no intention of firing or making accountable regardless of what they do.

Other thoughts?