The Debate: Spin or Be Spun

Josh Marshall is absolutely correct when he (and the Krugman column he cites) notes that the winner of the debate will not be decided in the 90 minutes of the debate itself, but rather during the post-debate spin spewed forth by the yapping heads on the SCLM*.

Krugman points out that the real test will be whether the print media is sucked in by the temptation to dwell on that spin and its inevitable focus on superficial style points, rather than ask the tough questions about the substance of the debate itself. The race will be to frame the debate, so to speak, and we know that the GOP will be doing everything it can to plant the impression that Bush won this round, regardless that our lying eyes will likely disagree.


*for the uninitiated, the "So Called Liberal Media"