from a conservative newspaper

From the usually conservative Chattenooga Times Free Press:

"President Bush went into Thursday night's debates as the favorite. But
he did not come out the winner. By the end of those 90 minutes,
Americans had seen for themselves that John Kerry is not the caricature of a
waffling politician Mr. Bush tries to present. Rather he is a strong,
resolute leader with a deep knowledge of world affairs and an
encompassing grasp of what it will take to make America stronger and safer and
more respected in the world. He made hash of Mr. Bush's failures to keep
the pressure on Osama bin Laden, to secure this country adequately
against terror attacks, to deal aggressively with what both men agreed was
the greatest threat - nuclear proliferation that can allow real weapons
of mass destruction to get into the hands of terrorists. Mr. Kerry
seized the opportunity Thursday night to define himself to the American
people. And no, he never spoke too long or in a convoluted fashion. He was
clear, direct and undeterred by Mr. Bush's repeated efforts to misstate
his positions. The president continually fell back on campaign
sloganeering rather than offering thoughtful responses to questions. Several
times Mr. Bush simply did not answer a discomfiting question. Mr. Kerry,
by contrast, never dodged."