Friday 10/1 links

Let the spin begin. "Captain Ed" Morrissey (Captain's Quarters) notes that both Washington dailies called it a draw and agrees with them. Mickey Kaus scores it narrowly for Kerry, as does Power Line's "Deacon" (aka Paul Mirengoff). Power Line's "Hindrocket" (aka John H. Hinderaker) had a scorecard which put Bush ahead by a few points, but he admits that "I think Kerry helped himself tonight." Hugh Hewitt thinks Bush won big.

Daily Standard columnist Fred Barnes offers a nuanced conclusion: Kerry did well ("solid performance"), but there was no winner, no loser, and it's not going to help Kerry much. Likewise Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak also gives Kerry a narrow victory on points, but predicts it won't help him enough.

You know, I like this girl Ana Marie Cox, aka "Wonkette." She may tend a bit left-of-center but she's clever and unpompous, which is now a word: "Gee, that was incredibly predictable. ... Kerry managed to not contradict himself within the space of a single sentence. Bush succumbed to vapor lock a couple of times but everyone knows that just makes him seem like a normal guy. All in all, we don't know who won. We're going to wait for the media to tell us." (Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds/Instapundit)

New York Daily News editorial: "Bush on substance, Kerry on style." New York Post columnist Dick Morris agrees: "President Bush's positions on the issues aired in the debate last night are so sound and John Kerry's so contradictory that the Republican could not help but win the debate. But, despite the contradictions of his positions, Kerry showed Americans that he looks and acts like a commander-in-chief and someone we could trust with power."

The German daily Der Spiegel gave it to Bush: "Die teils scharfen Angriffe von Kerry ließen den amtierenden Präsidenten Bush weitgehend unbeeindruckt: Mit der Darstellung seiner Außenpolitik und des Irak-Konflikts konterte Bush die Attacken seines Herausforderers. Für SPIEGEL ONLINE analysiert das Forschungsinstitut Medien Tenor die erste von drei TV-Debatten im US-Wahlkampf..." Who could argue with that? (Hat tip to "Captain Ed," whose erratic Babelfish translation indicated that Bush got the nod because he maintained his dignity through constant attacks, and appeared warmer.)

And Bleats blogger James Lileks just doesn't like debates, period. Or summits: "Summits are convened not to solve a problem but solve the perception that there is a problem. Imagine if the government had been different in 2002 - we’d have had a summit with France and Germany. End result: the sanctions would be dropped by now, and Saddam would still be in power."

Another Kerry supporter tried to pull a fast one, and an alert blogger swatted him flat. Ho-hum. Power Line blogger "Hindrocket," aka John H. Hinderaker, manages to stifle a yawn long enough to pass on the details.

The Belmont Club blogger "Wretchard" is more sanguine about the state of Iraq than the hysterics in the mainstream media.

Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer thinks Kerry sabotaged his campaign by wallowing in Vietnam.

Professor/columnist Victor Davis Hanson thinks Kerry is incapable of grasping any big picture.

New York Post "Page Six" gossip columnist Richard Johnson reports that California Republican congressman David Dreier is being very publicly "outed" as homosexual--and for having an affair with his very-highly-paid chief-of-staff, an unfortunate job title in light of the circumstances.