Maureen Dowd excellent on BBC Breakfast News this morning ...

[non sociopath skin]

She felt that the first debate had put Kerry back in the game by luring Bush out of Bushworld and making him look “obtuse.” She felt that Kerry had been precise in his answers and got rid of the “ambiguity” which had dogged his performance. She felt that the cutaway shots made Bush look exasperated and impatient and suggested that this would make him seem arrogant about having to descend to public debate.

I know that a lot of Duers aren’t fond of Dowd but she was definitely singing from Kerry’s hymn-sheet today.

The presenter made a big deal about Dowd losing her White House press pass. Wonder how many more “liberal” journos would lose them if the Bush Politburo were put back in the White Kremlin?

Meanwhile, thanks to the Good Ol'Beeb, I get to watch the debate at a time when most Brits are awake, at 3pm BST today.

The Skin

[donco6]

1. I thought this exact thing.

(cutaway shots) would make him seem arrogant about having to descend to public debate.

Yes, I thought he looked like Barbra Streisand being asked to audition for a role.

[Demit]

3. Yes! That analogy nails it! That's what his face was saying, that pursed

lips look. I just finished "Bush On the Couch" and this was a main theme--his grandiosity, his megalomania. And his famous statement that as president, he "doesn't feel he owes anybody an explanation."

I dreaded watching the debate last night. Now I can't WAIT for the next two. Kerry is making him confront two facts: first that, indeed, he DOES owe us all an explanation. And second, that he is woefully inadequate to the task.

[BlueEyedSon]

2. I watched on CSPAN, which had a split screen the entire time

(i.e. both candidates). That was probably the fairest, least "editorial" camera option. And boy, did W look bad for most of the debate!