[Cowperson]

A fairly boring debate with some bizarre questions. As the New York Times scrolling debate tracker asked rhetorically near the end: "Anyone still with me?"

Kerry was really thumping the Bible just as his handlers said he would in the latter days of the campaign, obviously realizing that, right or wrong, there's a much larger constituency of voters in America who like that kind of thing in their leader than in any other major industrialized country on the planet.

Bush's heartfelt and genuine plea as to why he includes God in his everyday life and decision making probably won the point, if you think that's important and about 70% of Americans apparently do according to one poll.

There's a sizeable portion of the American electorate who will be voting for the candidate with the greatest spiritual leaning and, politically, its not to be scoffed at.

As to who won the night I think it really depends on the message you wanted to hear. Both performed well enough. Each side will claim a win.

As George Will said tonight, its bizarre a candidate would look directly into the camera and plead that a government bill on medicare that he promises to sponsor will not be a government program. Bush's dart about Kerry being left of Ted Kennedy will stick with a few people as well since they might be iffy on where Kerry stands but they're not iffy on where Kennedy is.

And what's up with Bush and that bizarre "Yuck, yuck, yuck" kind of laugh. That might have cost him the night right there.

I thought Kerry was weak early on and stronger later. He probably kept his momentum which means he denied a shift back to Bush. That would make him a winner.

About 10% of those watching haven't made up their minds. The only real question is: "Who do THEY think won?" They're the only people who matter now.

The polls two or three days from now will be quite interesting.

If you take Bush's statement about the only way to relieve the NG and Reserves as winning the war in Iraq, then you may see a draft to get that done. Not likely, but it is a possibility if the new Iraqi armies can't get the job done.

If Iraqi's don't take ownership of the situation then its a defeat like Vietnam plain and simple . . . . only without the 56,000 or so American dead and without a helicopter from the roof. Okay, maybe a couple of fast cars heading to Jordon. If 24 million Iraqi's don't want them there, then nothing can keep them there. That's just the bottom line fact. The key hurdle to empowerment of Iraqi's, the key to them beginning the process of taking control of thes situation, as with Afghanistan, is free and fair elections with most or all of the country participating. You saw the simple power of that in Afghanistan on the weekend. I don't see it being delayed.

Cowperson