Charlie Cook on The Debate & Spin

Charlie Cook wasn't impressed ... but has some observations on-line:

First on the spin war that we won:

Last night's TV commentary was a fabulous example of pack journalism.   Immediately after the debate, the general sense among most commentators was that Kerry had done a bit better.   But, every 30 minutes after that, they judged Kerry's performance exponentially better and Bush's worse. By midnight when I turned off my TV set, you would have thought that instead of Kerry vs. Bush, it was Lincoln and Douglas vs. Elmer Fudd.

On Kerry:

Personally, I thought that Kerry sounded like Thurston Howell III, the snooty and condescending millionaire from "Gilligan's Island," but more people were comfortable with that than they were with the President's stammering and halting delivery and repetition of same phrases and arguments.  

On ignoring the elephant in the room:

Perhaps Bush proved that at some point staying totally on message makes you appear as if you know nothing more than your talking points.

it was more than appearance mr cook.

http://www.cookpolitical.com/races/presidential/updates.php