I like the meme/theme/steam that's moving in the press...
From Bloomberg:
President George W. Bush failed to gain a victory in the second presidential debate to stem the momentum built by John Kerry, a four-term Massachusetts senator, since their first match-up last week.
Two polls gave Kerry an edge in the 90-minute contest at Washington University in St. Louis. An ABC News survey of registered voters showed 45 percent considered Kerry the winner and 41 percent picked Bush. In a CNN poll, 47 percent said Kerry won and 45 percent favored Bush. Both are within the margin of error.
...
Bush futures traded on the Dublin Intrade Internet market fell during the debate, trading as low as 53.5 after it concluded, the lowest since Aug. 27 and the biggest one-day fall since they began trading in January 2003.
Is this a Bush Crash?
There was an exchange last night on Larry King, of all places, with Karen Hughes, that I think told the story of last night's debate.
Hughes was blah blah blah about how she thought Bush had won tonight in a landslide. Blah blah blah. Big smile, happy face, the whole schtick.
Larry King said, "I'm sure you'll tell us that your man won last Thursday in a landslide as well."
She almost looked like she was going to cry as she yammered through how she thought Bush won last week on the content of the debate. You know what ran through her head... Bush had done better tonight, but it wasn't enough. Bush has to hit a home run in the debate, probably a grand slam, that wins the game and the pennant, and it's the 9th inning. People aren't going to forget last Thursday. And because of the Republican spin for the first debate, their comments are being taken with a grain of salt. If Larry King says it, then it's a common thought.