GERGEN ON CNN: No knockout punches and no memorable lines, but one of the best debates I remember. Calls it a draw for the candidates.

UPDATE: Cynical take here:

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.

Maybe not.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Mickey Kaus scores it as a Kerry victory, though not a smashing one. Interestingly, the Insta-Wife thought it was a smashing victory for Bush. It didn’t seem that way to me, but while I thought Bush’s visible exasperation hurt him, she saw it as the natural response of a man who was busy fighting a war at having to listen to someone talk about its impact on prescription drugs. Go figure.

MORE: Lots of women are emailing to say that they agree with the Insta-Wife. I don’t know if that’s representative, though. It’ll be interesting to see the polling on this in a few days as people think about it.