Well tonight's matchup was a struggle. At this point, the Red Sox are down 3-1 to the Yanks....

Oh yeah, there was a debate too. In short, I think John Kerry has gone 3-0 in these debates. I will say that this was President Bush's best debate. In 2000, Al Gore was criticized for modifying his personality in each of the debates. In 2004, the same can be said of George W. Bush. Tonight, he was calmer and less abrasive than in the town hall debate and seemed like he was listening more intently than in his first performance.

Kerry went after Bush on jobs, education, health care, and the federal budget deficit. When Bush tried to respond by calling Kerry a tax and spend liberal, it didn't stick. Bush, the president who hasn't vetoed a single bill, tried to blame the (Republican) Congress for spending too much. Perhaps he just hasn't found the drawer that contains the veto pen.

The biggest reason Bush lost tonight was that he couldn't get on the offense. If I was advising him, I'd have come prepared with a list of proposals to deal with the problems that Bush is getting attacked on. By not doing so, and having to defend his time in the oval office, he looks like he isn't acknowledging there are problems that have to be addressed domestically.

Unlike Bush, Kerry's persona has remained consistent in all three debates. He had a chance to be a little self-deprecating at the end when he said he can take himself too seriously and his wife and daughters keep him in check. When Kerry used that question to talk about the lessons his mother gave him about the importance of integrity, he was as genuine as I'd ever seen him.

Viewership may be lower than the previous debates now that the baseball playoffs are in full swing, but there are still just under three weeks until the election, and plenty of time for another shift in those polls. The world of politics moves quickly, but John Kerry performed well in these debates and is in a good position to win the White House on November 2nd.