He said Mr Gore had lost points. His attempts to came across as gentler and quieter than last time had played into the hands of Mr Bush, who is widely seen to be weaker on the issues. And, while Mr Gore had a defeated look in his face and constantly looked down at his notes, Mr Bush confidently tried to maintain eye contact with his rival. I got some details wrong. While Al Gore is a better debater, with more experience in, say, foreign policy, Mr Bush made light of himself and had a smile on his face.
Some potential voters concur.
The BBC's Washington correspondent, Rob Watson, watched the debate with a number of first-time voters. Steve, a university student and undecided voter, gave Mr Bush the edge based on his closing statements. It can draw people to your side and Mr Bush did a good job of poking fun of himself. He also mentioned the key issues and closed the debate with the sense that he could be president. The third televised debate will be on 17 October, and, as far as opinion polls go, there is little to choose between the rivals.