A couple of folks have asked me about the official "Memorandum of Understanding" for tonight's debate. Here's the link for the .PDF, though I haven't time to read 'em myself as they came out during the crash yesterday.

Or if that link above doesn't work (as it did not for me)
here's another:

http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/debates.html
Scroll to near the bottom of the page and choose:
Read the 2004 Memorandum of Understanding (PDF)

Thanks, Vance. That link should be fixed now! (Was the same one you had pointed to over at PBS, btw)

CNN has "undecideds" in Ohio w/ little contraptions where they will push 1 to 10 buttons (1 neg response, 10 pos response).

And an interesting read it is! Explicit instructions down to the exact placement of each podium tonight.

Hey it may just be my perception, but couldn't we run ALL of W's press conferences over the past four years in less than 90 minutes? We should have this running concurrently on another channel. Is anyone against this?

CSPAN has Lehrer doing Pre-Instructions in the hall(threatening) audience

Brad, please continue to do the play by play as you see fit... I'll have to catch the Large Cable Company Digital On-Demand Replay later tonight and be content with the live radio feed in the car.

Kerry is taller. Bush is more orange.

No need for any post-debate commentery now from the media. The debate is over.

Bush won't answer question about "getting hit if Kerry is elected". First non-answer by Bush.

FOX is manning the pool cameras! Note how they're closer-up on Bush than Kerry to make them both same height in split frame!

Osam bin Forgotten? Bush won't/can't say his name.

I've got ESPN. He pulled a Rumsfeld. I knew it.

Leher: What would you do for Homeland Security
Kerry: Well, there's a long list...

Uh, oh...

"I don't know where we're gonna get the money to spend on all these promises???" FOR HOMELAND SECURITY?!?!?!?!

22 minutes in... interesting to see Bush so flustered. But not surprising.

When you have insulated yourself from criticism for 4 years, it must be hard to have a guy 50 feet away hammer at you.

So far I count three Bush freezes. More to come.

"I made a mistake in talking about the war. The president made a mistake in going to war. Which is worse?"

Soundbite of the night so far.

Bush is frazzled. He's defensive and even hostile. Kerry's letting shit roll off his finely coifed 'do.

Kerry looking VERY "Presidential". Anyone disagree?

"Trying to LOVE her as best as I can"?

Is she an OB/GYN?

The Bush "Flip Flop" attack is FLOPPING!!!!!

48 minutes in...

When Bush loses, he'll have a nice career imitating a deer caught in the headlights...

Powerline.com (right wing blog) running commentary has the score at 10-10 TIE so far!

What a surprise!

Powerline.com changes score. Bush 10-9 over Kerry

Bush: "Before I was elected sworn in..."

From Powerline.com (right wingers)

9:00 --- Visually, Kerry is dominating. I'm surprised at Bush's expression when Kerry is talking. He seems irritated, flustered, not in command.

Kerry continue to attack the Iraq war effectively. Was the Bush campaign mistaken in thinking that they wanted the first debate to be on foreign policy?

two thoughts:

1. Bush was furious most of the time; those pursed lips were just darling.

2. Bush gave a great confession: he referred to "strategic beliefs" when discussing his core values.

Only caught the last 50 minutes, but Bush clearly fumbling. Kerry was much more poised and thoughtful than I figured he would be.

I did think Bush's '...it will be an all-volunteer army' in his final comments was the only smart political move I caught of him. Otherwise the best thing Bush did was get Republican pundits on his side, to defend him. Nailing the 'global test' comment, which anyone who saw understood what Kerry was saying. Easy to draw out of context, and watch them spin that one over the next few hours, I'm sure.

Fox is already tripping over what to say. Tossing in 'mixed messages' and that Kerry didn't outline his plan well. Making excuses for Bush.

Logging off for the night, but will be very interested to see how everyone responds here, and how the pundits react.

Moving to a Post Debate Open Thread Now...

Please come over and share your post debate thoughts (and post debate spin observations!)

Post Debate Thread Here

Watching Fox post-debate...

seem to be reluctantly admitting Kerry won. Except Fred Barnes, who apparently watched the debate in a parallel dimension.