Not Mariano Rivera, not B.K. Kim

So Kerry didn't finish off Bush tonight, but he didn't give it up to him either. Kerry won the first half hour and I really thought that Tony Soprano line would resonate, but I didn't hear much about it in the talkathon afterward. Bush never quite came all the way back. It was close enough and there were so many statistical attacks, it's hard to imagine that it really resonated with anyone. By the end I think the event collapsed under its own weight and ended with a self-deprecation contest.

The president, I think, tried to keep the smile on his face but he looked frustrated a lot. In three debates he never got Kerry on the defensive for a sustained period of time. Bush simulated passion by pounding on the podium like a monkey who wanted his damn banana.

In the end, a draw helps Kerry. It doesn't change the story from the earlier debates in which most people seemed to see Kerry as the winner. He's still the candidate on the rise. And as a part of the Democratic base, I have to say that I've really come to like Kerry during the debates. I won't have to hold my nose and vote like I did with Al Gore.