[Preechr]

It's not like Bush is just now whipping out this constant repetition thing, but that he's doing it more now is because unlike those of us that watch 90 minute political debates, his message is meant for the 4-9 people left in this country that didn't make up their mind about voting last year. Those guys were going to take a piss and get beers during the debate IF they even had it on. If they heard Bush say "mixed messages" just once, Bush got lucky. Repeating it over and over also made it more likely that it'd get picked up for a soundbite.

Kerry's message may have been appealing for those of us actually familiar with the race and actively watching the debate with interest, but was any of us swayed in either direction? The winner of this debate is the one that had the best polling numbers afterward. Is Kerry ahead now? No? Then he failed. He lost.

Will more of the undecideds watch the next two debates? Doubtful. The only hope Kerry has left, barring some monumental event happening in the next month that "changes everything," is that so-called "independents" tend to vote liberal. I still don't think that's enough.