Who won the 2nd debate? (Full poll)

[IrishHand]

[IrishHand]

A few random thoughts:

-Bush opened himself up in a big way when he said something to the effect of "that's the kind of thinking (referring to Kerry's prior statements) that supported the UN weapons inspectors, that supported the notion that Saddam didn't have WMD and wasn't going to give them to terrorists." Naturally, Kerry obliged when he noted that the weapons inspections were working and Saddam didn't have WMD.

-Bush embarassed himself when he tried to make the "drugs from Canada" issue about requiring FDA approval. Kerry again (correctly) noted that the drugs at issue are American-made drugs...which sell for much, much cheaper north of the border.

-Kerry opened himself up for a "flip-flop" attack on the abortion issue when he basically said that his Catholic background and personal beliefs were anti-abortion despite his consistent pro-abortion stance (as far as I can tell). Sadly, Bush failed to hit that angle and instead simply re-stated his view.

-Not sure what to make of Kerry slipping in that he thinks there should be a limit on punitive damages. I haven't followed his position on this topic that well, although I was surprised that Bush didn't jump all over this one since Bush has clearly been pushing for limits on non-economic damages.

-Don't think it was a bright idea for Kerry to declare for no particular reason that he's a lawyer (when he was supporting Edwards' position on the tort reform issue). I don't think the average American considers being a lawyer to be a good thing in a politician, although I may be out to lunch on this one.

Overall, from a "debate" perspective, I think Bush got creamed again. However, with the "town hall" format, there were enough total softballs on both sides that it's pretty easy for people to walk away thinking it was a draw. (eg. The draft question to Bush, the "look into the camera and promise no taxes on the <$200k crowd" Kerry question.) Despite that, I think the debate gave the Kerry campaign a lot more ammo than it gave the Bush campaign. Bush should (rightly) get lit up for his ignorance about the timber income. Kudos to the Kerry campaign for their research on that one.