The Debate

Most commentators are at this point giving Kerry a slight victory in last night's debate. I think that the debate was a tie or very slight tactical win for Kerry, but strategically he did not do what he needed to do. The key issue regarding Iraq is its connection to the War on Terror. Bush has made the case that these are inextricably linked, while Kerry views Iraq as a diversion in the greater war. For Kerry to win he needs to separate the war in Iraq from the War on Terror in voters' minds, especially given the fact that Bush enjoys a lead in the high 20% range on who would deal better with terrorism. I don't think that he managed to do that last night. So while Kerry may get a slight bounce from last night's debate, if the main issues of the campaign continue to be terrorism and Iraq he will not make any headway longer term.