For what it’s worth…
My prediction is that there will be no noticeable change in the polls after tonight’s debate. Kerry’s fans are going to be very happy with their candidate, as well they should be. Kerry changed it up and cut off a lot of Bush’s shots. Bush’s people, on the other hand, are going to think the same thing about their man, but of course, Bush could have said, “baa baa baa baa” and they’d still think that; such is the glory of Republican constituents. If there is a difference, Kerry will get a bump of a lead, assuming the poll you’re comparing was at a dead heat before the debate.
I do think Kerry did well and much better than Bush. Bush started running out of things to say, and he tried to play off his inability to say something different as a frustration agaist Kerry’s or Lehrer’s inability to get the brilliance that he already succintly said so many times already. Also, I think Kerry won at least one vote somewhere, just for defining the Bush Iraq plan as “four words: more of the same.” That was tasty.