This is almost a live blog. We’re not too technically savvy here, and the first draft went swirling down the drain when the old, tired warrior struck the wrong key and lost it! Oh, well, all in…. love…. and in…. writing(?)

Less than five minutes after the great debate ended, we were switching channels to find out the neatest tidbits of information. Among the talking heads on every channel, we paused on CBS (well, maybe a little longer than necessary) and caught a comment from Dan Ra(th)er: not verbatim, but to the effect that Kerry was much more exciting, and that the nation would do better under Kerry. (Did anyone give any credence to CBS?)

Later, the same talking heads unveiled their “response meter” – a laughable device reminiscent of a ’50’s TV game show – which told them (and us) that Mr. Kerry was the unchallenged winner of the debate, just completely stripping the President of any “supposed” lead. What a surprise from the “Chronically Broken System” of NY! Time for the birdman to listen a bit…..

Moving to a different channel, where fairness is loudly proclaimed, we found Joe Lockhart, a Kerry campaign adviser, nearly jumping up and down as he preened and strutted, proclaiming the death of the President. Well, he may have been wrong on that account, but perhaps he had a point as far as tonight’s debate is concerned.

We thought, from our observations, that possibly one of the best exchanges was when Kerry proclaimed that he had only ever held one position on Iraq, that he had never changed it. After that, President Bush shot back that the only thing consistent about his opponent was his inconsistency. However, on the whole, it seems that the President missed a few opportunities to strike back. And most of the observers that we listened to were disappointed, as were we, about the general tone of the debate. Mr. Kerry seemed to be in command at some points, and the President looked pained a few times. Then there were the places where Mr. Bush’s natural smile was mistaken by some to be a smirk. But quite cogent was the time when Mr. Bush looked all of us in the eye through the camera as he passionately laid out his deep concerns for the safety and security of each and every one of us.

It’s not “woe is me” time for the President, nor is it “jump for joy” time for the Senator. The President is still in the lead as the polls go, but the only poll that matters will be taken on November 2. This was just one debate, and though supporters of the President may cringe at the thought of a debate on economic issues, it’s not over. One commentator reported how excited the Kerry supporters are, and that is fine. We concede that Mr. Kerry did very well in this debate, and that he is a really tough opponent, but Mr. Bush did make some compelling points, and the presidential race is based on much more than three staged debates. This is a very serious and dangerous time for America, and we all, as a nation, must be very careful and very serious ourselves when we enter voting booths on November 2. Whoever we vote for, we must go out to vote, and we must choose the man whom we deeply believe will protect this country and it’s people in the strongest manner. Good luck in choosing!