Now That I've Seen It

Okay, now I've actually seen the debate. Here's the thing I didn't see discussed much -- during the discussion of domestic policy, which went on for quite some time, Edwards positively owned Cheney. Not only does Edwards ooze compassion, but Cheney couldn't even feign any sort of interest in the subject matter. What's more, the Bush-Cheney domestic policy record is clearly indefensible: Does anyone really think Dick Cheney is enthusiastic about that Medicare bill? Of course not. That whole segment was a walkover. To call the more memorable national security section a draw, as the CW does, seems about right to me. Neither side had some kind of devastating, earth-shattering arguments. It comes down to what you think about the world. If the course we're on right now seems like a good one, then Cheney's arguments will seem plausible. If not, then, well, not.

So insofar as you're scoring this like a boxing match -- round one, round two, round three, etc. -- you come down with a clear win for Edwards. But "draw" is also a plausible description of the dynamics, since they basically fought to a standstill at the emotional high-point of the contest. Today's Post editorial says nothing happened to break the Kerry campaign's momentum, which I think is right. If anything, the VP's competent performance just cast Bush in a worse light than ever. Virtually everyone else on the planet can mount a more coherent defense of Republican policies than can the GOP's leader.