I guess CBS was right (see post below). The debate didn't affect my vote. John Kerry looked great tonight. He was well spoken and he had a "presidential" air about him, while George W Bush looked uncomfortable and unprepared.

But it didn't change my mind. I think that's mainly because I didn't believe John Kerry. He was emphatic about defending America and fearlessly leading the military, which even included enlarging the military and making our defenses stronger. Those are all important points with me. That could have been persuasive, but it doesn't fit his history. He's a war protester who has voted against military spending in the Senate for 20 years.

So has he changed his mind about war? His nuclear freeze comments made me think not. I got the impression he was a dove trying to pretend he's a hawk because he wants to reach out to the "security moms". If he is just telling me what he thinks I want to hear, it doesn't matter how well he says it.