I'm Wrong...Again

I was wrong the last time I thought Kerry would lose and I was wrong again. Kerry wins this debate bigtime. And not only that, but it wasn't because Bush screwed up either. Bush gave probably his best performance of the night. But Kerry was smooth, in focus, and in control. Here's round-by-round score card
Round-----Bush-----Kerry
1)-----------7----------10
2)-----------8----------9
3)-----------9----------10
4)-----------9----------9
5)-----------8----------10
6)-----------9----------8
7)-----------9.5--------10
8)-----------8----------10
9)-----------9----------10
10)---------9-----------10
11)---------9-----------9
12)---------10---------10
13)---------8-----------10
14)---------7-----------9
15)---------9-----------10
16)---------8-----------10
17)---------9-----------9
18)---------9-----------10
19)---------8-----------10
20)---------10----------9
Closing----9-----------10

Total------171.5/200—192/200

Comments---
Bush: Actually, this was one of your best performances. Few grimaces, didn't lose temper, seemed in control. Arguments weren't bad at all. One BIG mistake: You did say that you weren't worried about Bin Laden. That you denied it makes it all the worse, and I think it will really hurt you. When going for the "short and sweet" argument (like on Abortion), you have to be careful, the argument you make has to be SO intuitive that no other explaination is necessary. "Litmus Test" doesn't qualify. Religion part seemed heartfelt but a little shaky at times, which was surprising. Good humor at the end, but the self-deprecation early on probably hurt more than helped. Argumentatively you were outclassed, and I think you knew it. Grade: B

Kerry: Simply magnificant. Did everything I could have asked for and more. Managed to sneak in (with help of the moderater) some of the FP criticism which are working so well, good job FINALLY calling Bush on his "I don't worry about Bin Laden" statement. On arguments, you were rock solid. Clear, concise, and intuitive. Only weak spot was in paying for it, kind of slid out of answering that. But Bush can't get too much traction on the issue because he's far worse on at, as you pointed out (though the Soprano's reference might have been over the top). But these are nitpicks, this was a great job. Grade: A+

This was pre-spin. The only thing I checked was to make sure that Bush really did say he "didn't care about Bin Laden" and he did. Let's see what the pundits have to say, but I think this will be a huge boon to Kerry's candidacy.