Predictably, the debate was dominated by the war. Though both men used well-rehearsed lines during their encounter, there were moments when the debate got a little heated.

At one point Kerry made his strongest attack when he criticized the president for his shift in priorities, from the war against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan to Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

He said: "Unfortunately, [Osama bin Laden] escaped in the mountains of Tora Bora. We had him surrounded. But we didn't use American forces, the best-trained in the world, to get him. The president relied on Afghan warlords, and he outsourced that job too. That's wrong." Touche!

Bush went on the backfoot: "My opponent saw the same intelligence I did, and he agreed that Saddam Hussein was a grave threat; he saw the same intelligence, and he voted for the use of force in Iraq."

America realised he never answered the real question -- why Saddam? A CNN poll said Kerry had won the debate.

Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images