Posted 1:37 a.m. Oct. 1, 2004.
The first presidential debate has come and gone and both candidates have had their moment in primetime. Overall the debate yielded no surprises. Neither candidate crashed or burned, and no one came away overly impressive.
Both candidates staked out their ground on Iraq, with Kerry claiming he has had one position the whole time, despite his wavering even at the podium. While the president could have been more steadfast on his positions, his convictions came through. He stood up for the allies that have joined us, while Kerry chose to lament the absence of France and Germany, the great military powers they are (insert sarcasm).
John Kerry fought to convince Americans that he does have an opposite view than the President on Iraq and the War on Terror. I'd say he got that message across, albeit in his trademark nuance. I still believe Kerry wants to have his cake and eat it too in regards to Iraq, but again, I wasn't expecting much to come out of the debate.
As for how the public will gauge the results, what I listened to on C-SPAN's call-ins confirmed to me that not much was changed. Kerry people liked Kerry, Bush people liked Bush people, but some callers did say they didn't warm to Kerry personally, which is a big advantage Bush has over Kerry.
The race still has one month left, and it is nowhere near over. However, with two debates left in addition to a vice presidential debate, both candidates have two more chances to sway the public. While the first debate is the most watched, to me it was the most predictable, so I don't foresee a large shift in the polls.
With Americans really seeing Kerry for the first time he had more to gain out of the event. However, when whatever debate bounce that may exist fades, Kerry will be seen for his policies, not his performance in September.
Likewise, in the next two debates President Bush should be more forceful and just as firm as he was tonight, speaking with the strength and clarity that endeared him to the nation on September 11.
