WASHINGTON -- Regardless of what you thought of the idea before the debates came off, chances are you will have to admit that the 2004 U.S. presidential debates provided a rare and welcome opportunity to get a better understanding of the two candidates, U.S. President George W. Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.
The debates resurrected the Kerry campaign. He was dead in the water in the weeks just before the first debate. Kerry's performance in the first debate deflated the millions of dollars worth of Bush campaign efforts to demonize and belittle him. Kerry became a man again -- and a rather attractive one at that.
The debates put a massive kink in the Bush campaign. He was riding high before he went on the University of Miami stage to face his opponent face to face in the first debate. Bush was not cogent, not attractive, not presidential. He made the campaign a horse race again.