Edwards appeared too nervous, drinking water often, and - fer pete's sake - keep that lizard tongue tucked away. He had some good comebacks but I felt he never really cracked Cheney, never got to him the way Kerry addled Bush. A mistake of Edwards was repeating the same things over, literally. And in the beginning of the debate where he restated something by Kerry almost word-for-word was a complete turnoff. If it was meant to show that he was on the same page as Kerry it didn't work. It didn't show that he had a mind of his own.

Most important is when you consider the pairs Bush/Cheney and Kerry/Edwards. With Kerry/Edwards it's obvious in comparing these two that Kerry is the Presidential candidate by his demeanor and attitude. Edwards is still a little too raw to run for the top job. (During the debate Edwards was challenged as to the qualities he had for the job, in particular, if he had to take over as President. Cheney claimed that Edwards had far less experience than he. Edwards should have countered that Bush had less experience than all of them but he didn't say that point - pity.)

When you look at the Bush/Cheney pair, you'd likely guess that Cheney was the President. He had the poise, the speaking ability, the knowledge. After the debate I had the feeling that Bush really was nothing more than a talking head, a puppet being used by Cheney and Co.. Worse, hearing that Bush never had wanted to run and had to be talked into running only confirms that suspicion. Finally, watching Cheney was like watching The Godfather or the Sopranos. Cheney is someone you don't want to cross. Don't expect Cheney (or Bush) to ever admit wrongdoing.

Vote for Kerry.