Tortfeasor's quick debate analysis

Can't write much now, as I'll got to prepare to travel several hundred miles this weekend, so here are the quick highlights:

Winner: Bush. And God I loved it when he just ignored Charlie Gibson.

Style: Bush appeared a little too jacked up for the first 15-20 minutes -- reminded me of Uncle Leo on Seinfeld screaming into the telephone because he doesn't understand how a telephone works. However, Bush yelling is better than Bush stammering and scowling, and after a few minutes, Bush settled down.

Kerry looked a little cartoonish tonight, I thought, which may be a result of the format. That is, Kerry looks better than Bush behind a podium, whereas Bush moves more naturally and decisively than Kerry's lanky frame allows him.

Also, I think Bush's straightforward approach is pretty effective in contrast to Kerry's meandering answers. The federal funding for abortion question was the perfect example.

Humor: simply put, Bush gets it and Kerry, um, doesn't. Kerry's apparent Red Sox joke was abysmal. Bush's "need some wood?" line was priceless.

Substance: it's really hard to judge the "substance" without injecting one's political biases. Obviously, I think the issues are pretty squarely on Bush's side, but I do fear that too many people do not really understand that the War on Terror is a REAL WAR against a new kind of enemy. If the voters don't get this, Bush loses, as Kerry's Iraq-as-a-diversion charges will begin to make sense.

Scary moment: when Bush mentioned the words "Dred Scott," I almost hyperventilated. I really thought Bush was about to make the gaffe that would cost him the election. Thankfully, Bush somehow made it come together and basically got the holding right. And then I found myself a little impressed that W. knew what Dred Scott was.

Bottom line: Kerry is a goob, and Bush is the cool kid. Kerry's incessant "I have a plan" is enough to make me contemplate suicide; his constant hand motions are absurdly unnatural and coached. He is the kid in AP English who, when the teacher made everyone learn a Shakespearean sonnet, would practice at home in front of mirror so that he could be the best in the class, even though everyone would get the same grade regardless. And of course, the rest of the class would snicker and act like they were sneezing or coughing. (MSR, he is Ben Gray.)

Bush's strut, his wink, his use of the plural "internets" reminds me of the coolest man on the planet: Big Daddy (my grandfather).