Here are some of my favorite exchanges from last night's debate, in which President Bush performed more than adequately:
'Perfectly Consistent'
John Kerry: "Well, let me tell you straight up: I've never changed my mind about Iraq. I do believe Saddam Hussein was a threat. I always believed he was a threat."
Ten minutes later:
John Kerry: "And what's interesting is, [Iran is] a threat that has grown while the president has been preoccupied with Iraq, where there wasn't a threat."
Kerry's Opposition Researchers Run Amok
Kerry: "The President got $84 from a timber company that owns, and he's counted as a small business. Dick Cheney's counted as a small business. That's how they do things. That's just not right.
Bush: "I own a timber company? (LAUGHTER) That's news to me. (LAUGHTER) Need some wood?"
Gut-Check
Kerry: "I ask each of you just to look into your hearts, look into your guts. Gut-check time."
Optimist?
Kerry: "There's chaos in Iraq...We have bridges and tunnels that aren't being secured, chemical plants, nuclear plants that aren't secured, hospitals that are overcrowded with their emergency rooms. If we had a disaster today, could they handle it?...I believe America's best days are ahead of us. I'm an optimist."
Um, That's 0-For-3, Senator
Kerry: "'Compassionate conservative,' what does that mean? Cutting 500,000 kids from after-school programs, cutting 365,000 kids from health care, running up the biggest deficits in American history? Mr. President, you're batting 0-for-2."
