It was a debate the whole of America was waiting for. One that has the potential to decide with whom the nation will go.
Round one of the confrontation happened on Thursday. The 90 minutes of what was probably the most watched verbal duel in recent times was refereed by Jim Lehrer of PBS -- a veteran of such debates in previous elections.
If you wanted to sum up the debate in four words, it would be: Kerry fought, Bush survived. Which is pretty much what the president needed to do, considering the dynamics of this debate.
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