Live-blogging

Like the VP debate, I'm blogging this from the Pete Coors for US Senate headquarters in Colorado Springs. Thanks for tuning in to my blog and please feel free to comment as the debate progresses.

7:03pm: I'm nervous. I can just imagine how the candidates feel.

7:04pm: Wishy-washy Kerry? Get outta town. 'The president didn't find WMD in Iraq'. Was the president looking? Kerry then lists all the Bush policies he supports but, of course, it's the way these policies are being applied that he doesn't like.

7:39pm: 'I want the drugs coming in from other places to cure you, not kill you'- Bush in answer to why the importation of drugs from other countries have been blocked.

7:05pm: Kerry has definitely come out swinging. If Bush finds himself on the defensive, it'll be no good for him.

7:06pm: Zing. 'I can see why people at your work place think he changes his mind, it's cause he does.'-Bush on Kerry.

7:07pm: Bush is definitely nervous. And, he'll never be the world's greatest speaker.

7:08pm: Bush's answer on why Iraq remained a threat, even if they didn't have WMD, is pretty good. He needs to breathe more, again I think it's nerves. He knows what a big deal this debate is. His answer is pretty good, 'we all thought there were weapons there', 'he was gaming the UN oil for food program', but he repeats himself and he sounds out of breath.

7:11pm: 'The president wishes I had changed my mind', Kerry just said. Right. That's what Bush is wishing. He's also starting to sound out of breath. His answer is getting muddled. He always believed Saddam was a threat, but he would've used the power to go to war differently?

7:12pm: Bush mentions the 'global test' and the whole room goes into wild applause. This is the line to remember from the last debate. I didn't watch the last debate but that's the only line I've heard (ok, other than 'hard work').

7:13pm: Bush just started laughing at Kerry's answer. I'm not sure how that'll look to the rest of America but it makes him look more natural to me.

7:14pm: Kerry's got some good shots because of Republican senators who give Kerry his perfect 'even Republicans agree' line. His answer, again, is muddled, I lost what he's talking about. Some organization wants to take over in Iraq? What?

7:16pm: Bush gets to talk about actual Iraqis and what they think about Iraq. I think it's a plus for him. Still sounds out of breath. 'My opponent says he has a plan, sounds familiar, it sounds like the Bush plan.' Excellent line about 'having a summit' and having people join the 'wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time'. It's playing really well in this room.

7:18pm: 'My opponent thought he had weapons. It's a fundamental misunderstanding that the war on terror is only about Osama bin Laden. We've already got 75% of his people.' Great answer from Bush.

7:19pm: 'I remember when Ronald Reagan was president.....' in an answer to the rest of the world hating us. Perfect answer. It's what I've been saying for awhile, the world has always hated us, they knee-jerk hate us more whenever there is a Republican in office. Excellent line about not talking to Arafat despite that being unpopular in Europe.

7:20pm: 'Sometimes in this world you make unpopular decisions because they're right'-Bush. 'I don't think you want a president who does what's popular'. Excellent.

7:21pm: Kerry is talking about Bush pledging to be more isolationist 4 years ago. HELLO?! 9/11 happened during the last four years. I actually hate that Kerry doesn't get it. This man might become president and he's got no idea how someone could change his mind after a huge event like 9/11.

7:23pm: The president was supposed to block the ammo dock? Not the troops? What?

7:24pm: A question on Iran. 'In the event the UN sanctions don't stop this threat, what would you do as president' to Kerry. Kerry doesn't answer, instead talking about what Bush hasn't done. Kerry's answer is terrible. I can imagine my Iranian activist friend Banafsheh, her father in prison in Iran for the crime of being a journalist, listening to this jibber jabber of an answer. I imagine she's scared of the idea of president Kerry too.

7:26pm: 'That answer almost made me want to scowl'. Perfect first line by Bush.

7:27pm: 'He's the person accusing me of acting unilaterally and now he wants to take our 7 party talk and make it bilateral.'- Bush. I think Bush is doing well. Still out of breath but again, if people are focusing on what he's saying, I think he's doing well.

7:28pm: 'We're not going to have a draft. Period' -Bush.

7:30pm: Kerry is listing people whose support he has. HE JUST SAID WESLEY CLARK. Does anyone actually want Clark's support?

7:31pm: I don't like Bush breaking the rules and continuing on with his answer despite being told not to. Again, I like what he's saying but not how he's saying it.

7:33pm: Question to Kerry 'why do you think there haven't been any other terrorist attacks on American soil since 9/11'. Kerry gives a pompous 'I know why but can't tell you.' 'I agree with the president that we have to go after the terrorists where they are but I think I can do it better.' Maybe it's their microphones or something but both of these guys sound like they've been running around the block.

7:36pm: Bush sounds calmer. 'I don't think my opponent has the right view to make the world safe.' 'I don't believe we can win in Iraq if you don't believe we should be there in the first place.' I think this is Bush's best answer yet.

7:37pm: Someone tell Charles Gibson that the glasses at the edge of his nose makes him look like a pretentious wank.

7:38pm: Bush is definitely on fighting footing. I like it.

7:40pm: Kerry's answer on drug importation makes no sense. The president blocked American-made drugs? What?

7:42pm: 'He's been in the Senate 20 years, show me one accomplishment on medicare. I've been in DC for 3 1/2 years.....'-Bush

7:42pm: Kerry's got a zinger 'we did something you don't know how to do, balance the budget.' Of course, the question was on Medicare.

7:43pm: A question on choosing Edwards when Kerry wants lower healthcare costs. Kerry just made sure everyone knows he's a lawyer too. 'The president and his friends try to make a big deal about it' regarding tort reform. Um, isn't it. Wait, do we drink every time Kerry says 'I have a plan' without describing it? I'd be drunk by now.

7:46pm: Bush just called Kerry, Senator Kennedy and said he's the most liberal senator. Oy. Bush then takes a dig at Kerry not showing up for votes. 'His health care plan is that the government will run it. Largest increase in federal government ever'. 'That's what liberals do'. Oooooh

7:48pm: Kerry said 'labels don't mean anything' and then proceeded to make fun of Bush being a 'compassionate conservative' and then talked some more about his plans.

7:49pm: Good question on Bush's major spending. I hate Bush on spending so I want to hear his answer. Bush's answer makes sense, things went badly, we have an obligation to spend that money. But, the truth is, we've had lots of frivolous spending. I know Kerry would take that frivolousness and triple it, but that doesn't excuse Bush doing it.

7:51pm: Kerry is trying to make clear that 'the government has nothing to do with it' about his healthcare plan. Kerry is talking about the surplus Bush inherited. Like earlier, it seems he isn't aware of an event that happened in September 2001.

7:52pm: Charles Gibson actually follows up with a 'how' question regarding how to decrease the deficit. Of course, neither candidate answered it.

7:54pm: Question to Kerry to sign a pledge not to increase taxes on anyone. Kerry says he would sign it and looks into the camera and says 'yes'.

7:56pm: Kerry just called the audience poor, saying that only he, Bush and Charlie Gibson would be affected by his raising taxes 'on the rich'. He actually said 'looking around the room, I can tell that's only going to affect three people.....' That's so rude. Are these people not well dressed, or something?

7:58pm: Charles Gibson comes back to the 'how' in terms of the deficit. Kerry just used the phrase 'fuzzy math'. Where have I heard this before? No answer from Kerry. No answer from Bush.

8:00pm: Question to Bush on the environment. I'm not a science person, his answer about reducing this gas and that gas makes me tune out. Sorry. I kind of know what the healthy forest initiative is, being like 'tinderboxes'. Sounds good. 'Quality of air is cleaner since I've been the president'.

8:02pm: Ok, commenters, explain to me the 'Red Sox' comment Kerry just made about living in reality.

8:03pm: 'I'm going to be a president that believes in science'-Kerry. Great. Why doesn't Bush mentioned that Kerry voted against ratifying Kyoto? No one ever mentions that. Kerry just called Kyoto 'flawed' but said it needed to be fixed.

8:05pm: Kerry loves the word 'plan'. I have a plan. The president doesn't have a plan. Plan, plan, plan. Kerry mentions, again, that the tax cut is only for him, Bush and Charlie. Am I alone in thinking that's so rude. Dawn?

8:08pm: Honestly, I think Bush is much better on finance than he is on Foreign Policy. He seems to really get the idea behind cutting taxes. He's good on it.

8:09pm: Kerry actually admits you can't stop outsourcing. I'm glad to hear he knows it. 'I own a timber company?'-Bush. 'Need some wood?' That was hilarious.

8:10pm: Good question on the Patriot Act. 'Every action being taken against terrorists involves a court order, involves scrutiny. The tools we're using against terrorists is the same ones we've been using against drug dealers and criminals'-Bush. 'The Patriot Act is necessary because agencies couldn't talk to each other under the old laws and that didn't make any sense.'

8:12pm: Kerry's answer on the Patriot Act is weak. He voted for it. I don't get it. Did he not read it?

8:13pm: Here we go, stem cells: 'No one has been cured using embryonic stem cells.' 'You know, Elizabeth, I really respect your, ah, ah....' Kerry's not sure what that is. I think it's called morals or something. Kerry's answer doesn't address the question that no one has yet been cured using embryonic stem cells. He's talking about all the things that could happen.

8:16pm: Bush sounds actually torn on the issue of embryonic stem cells. It's another issue that he sounds much more natural than Kerry on, again, because I think he really believes it.

8:18pm: Wait, so Kerry is against stem cell research? He just called Bush a flip-flopper on it. Bush clears up that those stem cells already existed. Bush is really good on this.

8:19pm: Whatever you think of Bush, you can't say he doesn't sound comfortable tonight. I like his answer on judges, that he won't say who he'd pick because he wants them all to vote for him. He's funny.

8:20pm: Ohhhhhhh, why did Bush get into the Dred Scott case?

8:21pm: The problem for Kerry is that he can't be as socially liberal as his base would like but he also can't be as socially conservative as voters in America tend to prefer.

8:22pm: Well, there's your abortion question, although it's specifically on tax dollars being spent on it. 'I can not tell you how deeply I respect the belief on life and when it begins. I'm a Catholic.....' And, hey, our first Vietnam reference of the night.

8:24pm: Kerry just endorsed abortions on the tax payers dollar.

8:25pm: Bush just said 'I'm trying to decipher that' on Kerry's abortion answer.

8:26pm: Another great answer from Bush. I really think Bush does better, I guess obviously, when he really believes in the issue.

8:27pm: Bush is doing much better in the second half of the debate, the domestic part, than he did in the first Foreign Policy part.

8:28pm: Last question is on Bush making wrong decisions and what he's done to correct them. He's looking good, saying that history may not like some of his decisions. He remains proud of his big decisions. I like this answer. I hear cheering from the bar across the street. It's so strange for me, a New Yorker, to be in a Republican area like Colorado Springs where people are cheering the president on.

8:30pm: Kerry: 'I believe the president made a huge mistake, a catastrophic mistake....' and then launches into his standard coalition/UN shpiel.

8:31pm: Bush hits him on voting against funding says its 'one of the most amazing quotes in political history' about Kerry's voting for it before he voted against it line. Kerry ends with a Halliburton comment. Ugly.

8:33pm: Closing statements. Kerry has a plan. Again.

8:34pm: Maybe because I know her so well, but I know Dawn Summers has her hands over her ears right now as Kerry says 'I have a plan' over and over.

8:35pm: Bush's closing statement sounds very optimistic. He's got his breath going even now, too bad it's almost over. Bush sounds strong and I think he sounds sure. Ending on the theme of terrorism is perfect for him. 'Tomorrow, Afghanistan will be having elections'.