First blood to Kerry in TV debate

[cal04]

John Kerry regained the initiative in the US presidential race last night with a forceful performance in his first debate with George Bush, occasionally leaving the president scowling and at a loss for words.

Instant-response polls by three major television networks all showed that a large majority of their viewers thought the challenger had won the 90-minute verbal contest at the University of Miami - the first of three debates in the last month of the campaign.On several occasions, Mr Bush could be seen sour-faced and nervous in reaction to some of Mr Kerry's remarks.

After last night's debate, senior Democrats made it clear that they would make maximum use of the pictures of a disgruntled President Bush."What you saw was a president who was annoyed, angry and aloof. He clearly didn't want to be there, and he was slouched over his podium," said Terry McCauliffe, the Democratic party chairman, in an interview in "spin alley", a university basketball court where partisans of each side strove frenetically to influence media coverage of the event.

Mr McCauliffe's Republican counterpart, Ed Gillespie, laughed off the description, saying: "I don't know what Terry thought he saw, but the president was obviously very engaged and very clear about his policies."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1317491,00.html

[AussieDave]

1. Exactly right

I just finished watching it (recorded it - I was at work) and thought Kerry was solid, but Bush kept parroting the same catch-phrases that he memorized (or had drummed into him by his handlers). He really had nothing new to say - he equates criticism with demoralizing "our troops", and thinks he has a "grand coalition" in Iraq. Exactly how many soldiers in Iraq are from countries OTHER than the U.S. ????

But you have to feel sorry for Ed Gillespie and the rest of them - look at the material they have to work with...........

[opihimoimoi]

2. Kerry almost bled the man to death with all those cuts.....

Poor Bush, the same look he had in the school on 9/11

[dumpster_baby]

3. "It's like a nightmare, isn't it? It just keeps getting worse and worse.."

courtesy of the character "Grady Seasons" in the movie _The Color of Money_, as he beats Tom Cruise's character in a game of pool...