Debate!
Number 1

Overall score: a soft Kerry win. The first half-hour was clearly all Bush, and the fifteen minutes following that were pretty clearly Kerry. Nothing much shifted after that, and while Bush won a moral victory in not tanking, I'd give it to Kerry overall. Some notes:

General:

• Kerry wanted several followups, and kept getting shut down, but Bush got one every time he twitched his hand. Where's the liberal media now?
• Kerry chose the gray suit with the red tie on the blue background; Bush chose the blue suit and the blue tie on the blue background. I'd have to give that battle to Bush.
• Bush actually looked tanner than Kerry, who seems to have ditched his ultratan overnight. What was that all about? (Maybe it was because Bush was so much closer to the reflection of that podium...)
• Very few Bushisms, unfortunately. Three "nuculars," by my count, and a few other minor flubs ("Of course we're after Saddam Hussei- I mean, bin Laden," "...the neighborhood countries," and my favorite, "Proliferation is the centerpiece of a multi-pronged strategy to keep the nation safer."), but nothing serious. The best mispronunciation: "vercifously" (about seven minutes in). Viciously? Vociferously? Couldn't even say.

During the debate:

• 10th minute:
  Lehrer: "Colossal misjudgments. What colossal misjudgments has the president made?"
  Kerry: "Well where do you want to begin?" Score!
• 28th minute:
  Kerry: "Bush's father, in his book, wrote that he stayed out of Baghdad because there was no viable exit strategy." That's a great grab.
• 29th minute:
  Kerry: "I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. The President made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?" Woo-hoo!
• 35th minute:
  Bush: "We thought we'd whip more of 'em [Saddam loyalists] going in." Ah. Shrewd military strategy.
• 40th minute:
  Did Kerry really say that he was planning to follow in Reagan's footsteps?
• 44th minute:
  Bush (referring to a soldier's wife): "It's hard work, but I just have to love her as hard as I can." Eh? Actually, other than this weird little bit, this was the answer where I tipped it back from Strong Kerry to Weak Kerry. Another one of these and Bush would have taken the lead.
• 46th minute:
  Kerry (still stumbling from Bush's last answer, I guess): "I will never let those troops down. [Pause] And we'll hunt and kill the terrorists!"
• 71st minute:
  The Love Fest begins! Bush loves Kerry and Kerry loves Bush!
• 73rd minute:
  Most Surreal Exchange of the Entire Debate:
  Bush, on the twins: "I'm trying to put a leash on them."
  Kerry: "I've learned not to do that."
• 74th minute:
  Bush: "I fully believe that we should change tactics." So long as it's nothing that could be called a "flip-flop."
• 83rd minute:
  Kerry: "This is the same president who said that there were weapons of mass destruction, who said 'Mission Accomplished.' Just because he says the North Korea talks will fail doesn't mean it's true." The gloves are pretty much off at this point, I guess.
• 88th minute:
  Bush: "I believe in the transformational power of liberty." Nice! A strong finish.
  Bush, twelve seconds later: "We have climbed the mighty mountain." So much for that.