I'll bet Karl Rove is mighty pissed...

I mean, look at him. It would be funny until I remembered that he's actually our presdient. If I were Karl Rove, I would be pissed after last night.

They've been saying it was an important night. So important, it brought up images of Saratoga, Gettysburg, Yoko Ono - and all of those other important events that have "turned the tide." Yet, despite the historical significance the media continues to place on last night's debate, I think we had ourselves a very good debate.

And I'm pleased as punch that it seems that many agree with me: John Kerry was pretty effective in beginning to turn the tide.

My favorite moments of the debate for each of that candidates break down like this:

Kerry: "Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Osama Bin Laden attacked us. Al Qaeda attacked us."
Bush: "I know Osama Bin Laden attacked us."

Oh good, I was wondering about that.

Bush: "Of course we're after Saddam Hussein -- I mean bin Laden."

Hmmm, very telling.

Kerry: "Well, you know, when I talked about the $87 billion, I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse? I believe that when you know something's going wrong, you make it right. That's what I learned in Vietnam. When I came back from that war I saw that it was wrong. Some people don't like the fact that I stood up to say no, but I did. And that's what I did with that vote. And I'm going to lead those troops to victory."

How about when Bush told everyone that he was "trying to put a leash" on his daughters?

Kerry's response: "Well, I know. I've learned not to do that, Mr. President."

And the key line from Kerry: "It's one thing to be certain, but you can be certain and be wrong."

You know whom I feel sorry for? Karen Hughes - because she has to spin it that Bush actually won the debate.

Anyone watching will most likely agree: Kerry wiped the floor with Bush.

I haven't seen the president look that uncomfortable since the "what have you done wrong" question. In fact, he looked more than annoyed and frustrated last night - he seemed very out of it. There was that one time he used his 30 second rebuttal and just stared at the camera.

In fact, this is kind of what it sounded like to me:

Kerry: "The president has mislead us into fighting a war that was not the focus of our war on terror."
Bush: "What kind of message does that send?"
Kerry: "He has allowed nations to actually build up their nuclear arms."
Bush: "No I haven't. What kind of message does that send?"
Kerry: "I have been consistent in my position that we did not have a plan to win the peace."
Bush: "I don't agree in an International Criminal Court."
Kerry: "He lost sight of Osama Bin Laden."
Bush: "What kind of message does that send?"
Kerry: "You can be certain and wrong."
Bush: "... um ... I don't know exactly what he meant. But I know what's wrong and right. God talks directly to me. So that's why you should vote for me. Vociferously."

Okay, some points for using an SAT word, but other than that, I'd say that Bush was looking a little haggard afterwards.

Look at the body language here:



That's our president after knowing he's just been served.

The excitement at Wellmann's Pub last night was pretty heady. Governor Vilsak afterwards echoed the sentiments of John Edwards: "We just saw the President of the United States - and it was John Kerry."

Let's hope the voters agree. I'm happy that the race is now, more than ever, in swing - and keep tellling your friends to vote and to register friends of yours that aren't. John Kerry showed last night that he's ready to be the president we deserve - and he deserves all the help we can give him.

Back to fun stories tomorrow. Until then, be well.