If at first you don't succeed. . .

So, this will be my second actual attempt at live blogging. It will most likely be just thoughts that occur to me as I'm watching -- those that I can type quickly enough. As a primer:

A nice list of questions that won't be asked at the debate.

Not even a hint of sheepishness from Charlie at the mention of being from CBS News.

CORRECTION:A reader named Maria emails to inform me that Charlie Gibson is with ABC News, and not CBS. That would explain the lack of sheepishness, if only temporarily. Thanks!

Kerry -- Wishy-washy addressed by WMD reference? Hasn't changed positions?

Kerry tries to go populist. "Fight for you!"

Howard Dean. . .Keep talking about Howard Dean.

Pres is looking cool and confident. A little swagger.

He is looking better and better. If he keeps it up, he wins.

Kerry is walking like a saw horse. Way out of his element.

Kerry is digging a hole he'll never get out of with his "never changed my mind" riff.

Thank God Mr. Baldi wasn't bald.

Kerry sure lends a lot of weight to Sen. Lugar's feelings on the management of the war. Too bad no one else really does anymore.

I don't know why Kerry thinks allowing coalition members first crack at reconstruction is a bad thing to most people in middle America, where he needs the most help.

If Kerry has to keep reminding people that he wants to win the war on terror, it's not good.

Pres -- Good point about the popularity of doing the wrong thing.

Slinging blood at the President isn't a smart thing to do -- "and now, our kids are being killed by those ammos."

Make people feel good about feeling safe in our military? Maybe if we supply them with some of Joycelin Elders' famous "safer bullets".

Oops...Silvio Berlusconi.

Not one accomplishment from Kerry on Medicare in his 20-year Senate career -- good one.

Kerry -- I'm a lawyer, too. Dumb.

Kerry -- Want details on my tort reform proposal? Go to my website.

Pres -- Nice slip there. "Senator Kennedy".

The Pres is hitting his points nicely. A stumble here or there with his speech, but getting his point across very well.

Kerry -- going to the "Top One Percent" riff.

Kerry is very uncomfortable talking about taxes.

Pres -- Kerry voted to break spending caps 200 times. Very good.

Kerry -- Going to "fuzzy math"?

John Kerry is indeed a different man with every sunrise. He's visibly morphing into Al Gore.

Red Sox fan? Whuuuh?

Pres -- If you want to be popular in the halls of Europe. Nice.

Pres is sounding very solid on the economy and taxes.

Kerry's making a better case for the Patriot Act than Bush is.

Pres -- Did well on stem cell research.

Kerry -- Said again that Bush made a mistake in invading Iraq.

Overall, a good, solid performance by the President. I didn't see any knockout blows, but I'd give Bush the edge both on style, and on substance.

I reserve the right to revise and extend without objection no objection so ordered.