1) Kerry was presidential. The president seemed like a cartoon caricature of himself. Think Cartman, of South Park, playing sheriff and shouting: “do not question my authoritah!!!” Bush seemed childish and resentful of Kerry’s critiques.

2) While Kerry made a good case for the Bush administration’s mishandling of Iraq, he should have done more to emphasize the human costs of the war. Over one-thousand lives have been lost. Soldiers have been away from their homes for multiple tours of duty. Reserve units are over-extended.

3) Comparatively, when asked about the human costs of the war, President Bush seemed empathic telling the story of a meeting with a military widow. It was a Clintonesque “I feel your pain” moment, at least until he went on to say, “you know, it’s hard work to try to love her as best as I can.” (thanks to Sam Coppersmith who pointed this out on Liberal Desert)

4) When Kerry was asked what the major security threat facing the nation was, he responded “nuclear proliferation” and outlined a plan to secure Russian plutonium within 4 years. The President seemed not to have a grip on the issue. And that’s scary.

5) Somehow, I think Kerry needs to make a better case of why alliances make sense. He could have invoked examples from the first Iraq war–where Bush 41 built a real coalition, or even the support the US had when entering Afghanistan.

Overall, round 1 goes to Kerry. The IEM has not significantly changed since the debate. Bush has a 4.3 point lead. The next four weeks of the campaign will be critical.