Both candidates surprised me, a little. I don't agree with Bush's policies, or "vision", but he was a little more competitive than I expected. He learned a new word - denigrate - and used it several times correctly in sentences. He said something a little weird when he was talking about the mother of the killed soldier - something about not being able to love her the way he should - but I haven't read any reports that picked up on it, or read a transcript to see if I heard what I thought I heard, and anyway it was minor. He didn't make a convert out of me, (any more than Kerry probably made converts from the Bush camp,) but I could see more clearly what it is that Bush supporters want and think they're getting from him, and why they're so willing to turn a blind eye to the devastation in his wake.

I think what Kerry was able to do very well was to reassure his own supporters that they're not backing a dud. I've heard a lot of people say that they're voting AGAINST BUSH who may feel a lot more comfortable saying they're voting FOR KERRY, having seen this debate and seeing the contrast between the real Kerry and the caricature of Kerry that the republicans are trying to sell us. I think Kerry did really well. I wish that he could always choose his words as deliberately and confidently as he did last night.

From what I've read, the republican spin machine is going into overdrive trying to do damage control, and I think things are going to get very nasty. That's probably a safe prediction.