The best thing about these first two debates...

[nyhuskyfan]

Kerry has been consistent in his demeanor, shown a good command of the issues, and whether or not you agree with his point of view, he has been articulate and direct in getting his point across. He has come across as presidential, confident, assured, and emotionally stable.

Bush, meanwhile, has been all over the map. He's gone through the deer in the headlights phase, the stammering idiot phase, the rootin', tootin' cowboy phase, the beat up the moderator phase, the simpering whiner phase ("It's hard work, I say."), and the complete denial of his mistakes phase. He has seemed bipolar, emotionally inconsistent, and completely unpredictable. From question to question, you don't know if he's going to rant and rave and scream and yell, or if he's going to try to put on his fake compassionate facade.

I've discussed this morning this very phenomenon with an independent voter I know, and he said that if that this is the way Bush acts in a couple of televised debates, what must he be like behind closed doors, with just his advisors around? They must have no idea what to expect every time they walk in and see him.

[FloridaPat]

1. I think that was the main reason Gore lost in 2000 - he was a different

person for each debate. I just don't understand why he didn't hire the consultants that did Clintons campaigns.

[neomonkey]

2. Your (I) friend brings up a good point

This is when the candidates are supposedly on their best behavior, showcasing the finest they have to offer. And all we get from Shrub is this insanity?

I really, really, really look forward to debate #3. I think that one holds the promise of a true Bushian melt down.

[jayfish]

3. Bill Maher Put It Best last Night.

"Bush was ahead Before the debates. Now people see he's a retard"

Jay

[DrBB]

4. IMHO, killing the "Cloak of Inevitability" is the main accomplishment

Building a sense of inevitability around GOP victory is Rove's #1 closing tactic, and Kerry has delivered two torpedos into the heart of that particular idea. It's not at all just a matter of changing the poll numbers, either. They've managed to carry off that trick even when lots of polls are running against them, as in the 2002 midterms. Kerry didn't just make himself look like a plausible Chief Executive/CinC, the contrast also made Bush look like a loser. It's an emotional thing that the stats only (imperfectly) confirm. The dynamic has truly changed: THEY'RE the ones now stuck with convincing others their guy is not the sinking bozo the stats say he is, and that puts a huge hole in the Overweening Inexplicable Confidence of a Win game that Rove wants to play at this point.

[Inland]

5. Good point. The Predestined Winner was one way that the

pubs managed to avoid talking any issues---except, of course, how Bush is or became the Predestined Winner. Why look at Kerry or think about Bush's record when the election is over?

And restating what you said, the same rationale is working against Bush--and the best he can do is get back to the abstract issues as opposed to his loser, defeated person, and those suck only marginally less.