Throughout the debate, Bush was seen taking notes on a piece of paper at his podium. At great risk to life and limb, some Bothans were able to smuggle out the notes and present them so that they are available for everyone to see. They report that many Bothans died to bring you this information ... However, the notes are a scream, so they did not die in vain.

The media coverage of the debate will be unrelenting today. Of the one's I've read so far, here are a few I recommend:

Wherein Bush Turns That Frown Upside Down
James Benett, New York Times

A Crucial Test, But Not Final
Todd Purdy, New York Times

Bush Grins, Spins But He Doesn't Win
Tom Shales, Washington Post

Martha Stewart's lawyers are shopping publishers for her prison diary. This makes sense. Martha could get $5 million or so and use up hours of boring time writing it.

Here's the transcript of tonight's debate.

Now, reaction from the blogosphere:

Josh Marshall:

Kerry looked more presidential than the president. I don't know how else to put it. He seemed collected and forceful through the whole thing. The president, meanwhile, seemed excitable, edgy and sometimes ungrounded. Again and again with the banging the table. Perhaps after one question you can get away with a cocky look of sarcastic disbelief after your opponent stops talking. But not every other time.

Another point struck me as similar to the first debate, very similar. Kerry controlled the tempo of the evening. He kept the president on the defensive. He landed his key points about the budget deficit and the president's avoidance of the job issue several times. On health care there was more of a tussle. But I don't think the president framed the evening in the way he and his advisors wanted -- defining Kerry as an out-of-the-mainstream liberal. He did better at that in debate number two than he did tonight.

Oliver Willis:

I give it to Kerry simply because his ideas don't suck, and he can MAKE COMPLETE FRICKIN' SENTENCES and the fact that the president can't talk without making big giant lies...."What have you learned from your wife?" Why is that question in a presidential debate? Not even relevant. And Bush on his wife: she tells me to stand up straight, talk right -- is she his mom?

Ok, who won.

I think Bush sounded like a child and Kerry seemed most presidential. But the questions were so weak. It was not a good debate.

Update: On line polls:

Fox: Bush (34%) 31,614
Kerry (66%) 61,194

MSNBC: Bush 24%
Kerry: 76%

Taegan Goddard, Poltical Wire:

President Bush was, again, on the defensive from the outset. He spent so much time portraying Kerry as a "Massachusetts liberal" or taking cheap shots, he rarely answered a question directly. When stuck, Bush resorted to sweeping ideological generalizations, in effect saying freedom and tax cuts would solve all of America's problems. When really stuck, he resorted to bad jokes.

By contrast, Kerry was in command of nearly every subject. He was especially strong on the expired assault weapons ban, the minimum wage and homeland security. My only significant criticism is that Kerry rarely explained the details of "my plan," but that's somewhat understandable given the limited time format.

The bottom line is that Kerry not only sounded more presidential, but looked presidential. By this measure, he was the clear winner.

More On line Polls: (Via Political Wire)

Bush expounds on his faith. He's on home territory here. It's all the more scary because there are people at home cheering him for this. It does not belong in our government. Kerry's joining in here. At least he's mentioning other ways of connecting to a higher being.

DaveCullenCO: Bush on God and prayer. He's doing well for his crowd, plus. The mainstream eats this stuff up. Kerry needs to show some warmth on this.
DaveCullenCO: Don't be an Iceman, Don't be and Iceman.
DaveCullenCO: Well at least Kerry is talking about his faith a bit. That helps. But he is doing it as KIND OF an iceman.
DaveCullenCO: Nice job on the loving your neighbor better, though. And good job working in the altar-boy thing earlier.
DaveCullenCO: He's got to convince some people he's not a Godless heathen.

That's what's so scary. He feels the need to join in.

7:53 pm. Bush on Immigration: We have 1,000 more border agents, unmanned vehicles, new equipment. He was a border governor, he knows this stuff he says. He wants a temporary worker card, so long as there is no american willing to do the job.

No amnesty, let's not reward illegal behavior.
Mistake by Kerry - going back to economic issues --and lapsing into statistics. He does that when he's angry.

Kerry on immigration: He'll toughen up our borders. we need to crack down on illegal hiring. An earned legalization program.

Next question: Kerry wants to raise minimum wage. He will fight tooth and nail to pass it.

Good for him.

DaveCullenCO: Karl obviously told Bush, "When you feel a frown coming on, smile." So he's not exactly frowing like the first night, but he's squeezing out the most comical string of goofy smiles, fake smiles, strained smiles, painful smiles . . . Half the time he looks like a kindergarten boy told to smile for the camera who can't figure out how to do it and pulls his cheeks apart while gritting his teeth.

Ok, you go. I'll blog up here, readers take the comment section. 3 minutes to start time.

Theresa and Laura just had a nice greet on the way to their seats. Michael J. Fox is in the audience. Stem cell research is bound to come up.

Cspan has the split screen up.

They are out. Dressed remarkably the same.

Will we ever be safe and secure again. Kerry and Bush both say yes. Bush is very eager tonight.

Compare his statement on Osama tonight with this one from 3/13/02:

Haaretz reports that the overseas place of detention for senior al Qaida operatives being held by the U.S., including Khalid Sheik Mohammed,is in Jordan.

Background here.

BlogPac has its second ad campaign running, targeting the Oklahoma Senate race (running locally on the internet). Money is being raised for a third great ad campaign. Your donations can help. As to BlogPac,

Writing a blog post is not enough. Reading a blog post is not enough. Commenting on a blog is not enough. Being educated is the first step toward political change. But the next step requires doing something.

BlogPac.org is that next step -- a group of bloggers not content to simply write words or read them, but eager to take action on the pressing issues of our day. We will not sit idly by and merely chatter as everything we care about burns. And you join us in our efforts.

BlogPac is the new PAC created by virtuoso bloggers Markos of Daily Kos and Jerome of My DD. I've accepted an invitation to serve on the Advisory board, along with Markos, Jerome, Atrios, John Aranovis of AmericaBlog, Matthew Stoller of BOP News ,, Anna of Annatopia, and others.

This netroots effort is just getting started. Between the Novmember election and the 2006 midterm elections, there will be a lot of work to do and a lot of money to raise. It is an effort by those who spend their times online and embrace participatory media and politics. Whether you are a blogger, a blog reader or just an internet user, please join us as we use online tools and technologies to further the cause of progressive politics in our nation.

Note: This is not a bash of Bill O'Reilly. It is just a reporting of news. Please don't trash Mr. O'Reilly in the comments, or I'll shut them down. He and everyone at Fox News have been extremely gracious and respectful in my contacts with them, and no one should judge Mr. O'Reilly before the facts come out at trial.

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In a pre-emptive strike against an anticipated $60 million sex harassment suit, Fox News Show Host Bill O'Reilly has sued former Fox producer Andrea Mackris and her lawyers for extortion and other claims. Mackris filed her lawsuit today.

Smoking Gun has the text of Mackris' complaint against O'Reilly and it's a doozy. From the detail included in the descriptions of telephone calls, it may be Ms. Mackris taped them.

O'Reilly denies her allegations and a says it's a shakedown.

by TChris

After Tacoma's police chief, David Brame, killed his wife and then himself, a Washington State Patrol investigation uncovered a "culture of corruption" within the Tacoma Police Department. The City responded with its own investigation, but has made public only a few of its findings.

After months of refusing to make public an investigation of alleged misconduct by police and city employees, Tacoma City Manager Jim Walton released a heavily edited version of the report Tuesday. It includes the name of just one of the 32 individuals suspected of wrongdoing: David Brame .... It doesn’t identify anyone else, including a former employee whom Walton has determined improperly shared confidential medical records with his wife. And it blacks out descriptions of all but two of 33 allegations investigators examined.

Walton says that agreements with city employee and police unions prevent him from making more complete disclosures, as does the Public Disclosure Law, despite findings that sustained wrongdoing in twelve cases. A lawyer for Brame's deceased wife disagrees.

“The city’s not really being honest with the citizens of Tacoma when they say they can’t hand it out because of the Public Disclosure Act,” [Paul] Luvera said. “They got lawyers to go to court and prevent it from being disclosed. That’s the only reason it wasn’t disclosed.

The public's right to know extends to wrongdoing by public employees. Except, it seems, in Tacoma.