24 hours of reflection

Maybe I’m too immersed in the right-leaning blogs but the more I read today, the better I felt about last night’s debate. The new impression forming is that Kerry was all style and no substance and that my disappointment with Bush was that he didn’t nail Kerry on his serial flip-flops. But that doesn’t diminish the fact that the flip-flops still exist. Kerry may have won the battle, but he’s on his way to losing the war.

The most compelling reason for this is based on the campaigns’ responses to the debate. The Kerry camp decided to ridicule Bush’s facial expressions during the debate. Frankly, I can’t imagine a more petty, personal and peevish response. Bush, on the other hand, hit the campaign trail and gave all the responses he should have given last night. And here’s where “winning the war” comes in: Kerry provided Bush with so much good campaign copy to use. From the Kerry Spot: “Kerry obviously won on style. He looked good. But who has the material to work with and exploit over the next week? Clearly Bush.”

By contrast, what can the Kerry campaign use to counter the Senator’s “global test” gaffe? Between smirks and “summits” I’m betting Americans care more about the best approach to the war on terror.

Extra: Fred Barnes writes “Not Enough - John Kerry was able to stir the faithful, but his performance wasn't enough to change the dynamics of the race.”

Hugh Hewitt is still giddy: “The more I study last night's debate, the more I am convinced that it is a disaster for Kerry. The "global test" pratfall plus the "we can't be trusted with bunker busters" reversion to nuclear freeze days are just killers.”

American Spectator: “And Kerry's performance, as good as it was by his standards, was still marred by a few gaffes. That his idea of a superior president is one who asks foreign leaders "What do you need, what do you need now, how much more will it take to get you to join us?" is not the best image for Kerry to project. Romantically invoking a meeting with Charles de Gaulle in Paris does little to dispel the perception of excessive France-friendliness. And the notion of "global test" for when preemption is okay left Bush open to zing him for wanting to let international popularity trump national interest.”

Exactly. A week from now, few people will remember Kerry’s polished presentation, but you can bet the Bush campaign will remind us all of the “global test.” I feel much better.