Watching the debate

I got a late start - kids needed to go to bed - but here's my thoughts on the debate as it's happening. Kerry seems to be in his groove, but his words still don't cover the fact that he's still talking out of both sides of his mouth. Hearing him talk about how we need a president with credibility is a real mind-bender. If there's one thing Kerry lacks, it is credibility. The polls show this very strongly. At least we know he has a good poker face. President Bush sometimes seems to have trouble getting rolling, though I'm not sure it's a bad thing. I think it makes him seem accessible and friendly. Occupiers? Kerry has a lot of gall making a statement like that. The comparison to President GWH Bush seemed out of place, but it was a good illustration of his point. Kerry is clinging to the concept that he can get other countries to help, when those leaders have clearly stated they will not help. Great quote by President Bush: "They aren't going to follow someone whose core convictions change with the politics in America." Kerry is still perpetuating the falsehood that there were no ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda. The 9/11 Commission found only that there was no tie between Iraq and the attacks of 9/11. The Commission's findings even suggest that Bagdad did have a history of supporting Al Qaeda. More myths: Kerry says that Saddam would not have gotten stronger given more time. I didn’t see any evidence that no-fly zones and sanctions were doing anything but allowing Saddam to build up his strength. Bush seems to be getting tired, fumbling his words more often. I kind of wish the camera had included Kerry when Bush said "Nu-kyu-lar". Yes, it's supposed to be "nu-klee-ur", but how do most people say it? Kerry would be foolish to criticize that pronunciation in this forum, as it would paint Kerry as a know-it-all, and not very endearing. During his rebuttal to the "character differences" question, Kerry's final statement was perhaps the most coherent summary of his position on Iraq I've heard yet. If he could convey that point that clearly more often, he could be more of a competitor. I think Bush has spent perhaps too much time talking about Kerry's flip-flops. By the end, I feel like telling him "we've heard this, move on, tell us something new". Kerry's last response, he says that the war in Iraq is not "what the American people voted for". Exactly when did we get a vote on going to war? Or did we somehow know when voting for W that we would be going to war? As an afterthought, how terrible it must be to be a candidate for president. The post analysis spends so much time analyzing every twitch of your face. Was that a sneer, a grin, a wry smile or a smirk?