By Jan LaRue, Esq.

When President Bush shook hands with Sen. Kerry last night at the second presidential debate in St. Louis, I had the feeling he whispered, "I hope you’re not a fan of re-runs."

A strong, energized, confident and frownless president brought his game and went after his opponent with steely-eyed determination and a sense of humor. Kerry’s face showed surprise, if not concern. Apparently the Botox hadn’t kicked in. And well it should, because the Kerry record, or lack thereof, took a lot of hits. And about that "most liberal record," Bush said, "You can run but you can't hide."

Kerry’s spinners tried to dismiss the body blows their guy took by saying the president was "so angry" he was "stomping" on the stage. They actually "thought" the president was going to "pounce" on the moderator when he insisted on time needed to respond to a question. "He wasn’t relaxed enough; he wasn’t the good-old-boy."

Time after time, Kerry responded to questions asking what he would do about an issue by criticizing what the president has done. He did manage to land a few blows.

This debate was hyped as essential for winning those who are still "undecided" 25 days from choosing the next leader of the free world. Coincidentally, the Gallup organization announced a first. Its latest poll shows there aren’t any undecided voters, just a few who are leaning toward a candidate but might vote for the other.

"Never before have two presidential candidates spent so much time, money and attention trying to woo people who can’t make up their minds," according to the Des Moines Register on debate morning. A 22-year-old poli-sci major said she still "doesn’t know" whether to vote for Bush or Kerry and being wooed makes her feel "special." Swell.

These are primarily the style folks. Whether candidates frown or wax eloquent matters more than records, vision and steadfast leadership.

I’m probably a tad cynical but I’d feel much better if Buffy and the "special" people would busy themselves on November 2 by gathering on some remote island and picking who gets tossed. People who vote for the commander-in-chief as if they’re picking the next GQ cover boy scare me.

The debate at Washington University in St. Louis followed a town-hall format. The Gallup organization randomly selected the 140 audience members who claimed to be "undecided" or "leaning."

The university provided dinner and asked them to pick steak or chicken. They were allowed to change their minds at dinnertime. See what I mean?

Moderator Charlie Gibson of ABC News and Good Morning America chose 18 pre-submitted questions from audience members who then were allowed to read their question on either of two subject fields, the economy and domestic policy or foreign policy and domestic security.

There were 18 questions on subjects including Iraq; the economy; healthcare; Iran; terrorist attack; prescription drugs; deficit spending; taxes; jobs; the "Patriot Act"; abortion funding; stem-cell research; the environment; the draft; Supreme Court appointments; foreign relations; three mistakes the president has made, one of which he said was an unnamed appointment; and one who asked Kerry to reply to those who say he is too "wishy-washy," which he actually blamed on the president for not finding WMDs in Iraq. The president had fun with that one.

When Kerry said he favored tort reform as a solution for decreasing health care costs, which may have sent his running mate off to soothe the trial lawyers’ lobby, the president countered with, "Well, he should have shown up and voted for it."

As to Supreme Court appointments, the president said he wants judges who strictly interpret the Constitution and won’t let their personal opinion get in the way of the law. That’s his "litmus test." Kerry said it isn’t about them being conservative or liberal. It’s about "reading their opinions and you can’t tell who they are. … Will a woman's right to choose be protected?"

The most important thing about the debate for the undecided and leaning is that they couldn’t have a clearer picture of the differences between the candidates. The contrasts, in addition to the usual ones on Iraq, terrorism and taxes, couldn’t have been starker on the subjects of abortion and stem-cell research.

The question of federal funding for abortion was directed to Kerry. His answer was so convoluted, I had to take two aspirin for the headache I got trying to make sense of it. He’s a Catholic who can’t legislate his faith; he’s against partial-birth abortion [although he voted against the ban]; he voted against parental notification because a 16- or 17-year-old who’s been raped by her father and who’s pregnant can’t be forced to tell her father; there has to be judicial intervention [there is one]. Despite all that, Kerry claims "you can take that position and not be pro-abortion."

The president opened his rebuttal with, "we’re not going to spend taxpayers’ money on abortion." The president’s heart, faith and convictions shone like the sun as he listed the bills he’s signed to protect the unborn.

Kerry was asked a powerful and accurate question about embryonic stem-cell research, which began: "Thousands of people have already been cured or treated by the use of adult stem cells or umbilical-cord stem cells. However, no one has been cured by using embryonic stem cells. Wouldn’t it be wise to use stem cells obtained without the destruction of an embryo?"

Kerry responded clinically and abstractly about doing "ethically guided embryonic stem-cell research" based on an "option" and wanting to grab the future, but never mentioned the present reality of cures from adult stem cells.

The president wasn’t as substantive as he could have been but he spoke with conviction about respect for life and balancing science and ethics.

John Kerry mentioned that he has a plan "to do better" about 33 times with scant specifics. George Bush kept mentioning his record, mostly with specific examples.

If the undecided and leaning are still confused about analyzing issues and comparing the responses, I’d like to help the "special" people with a suggestion.

Most of the people who died on 9-11 had a job with health care and retirement benefits. The air at ground zero became an environmental disaster within seconds. A strong economy depends on keeping commercial airline ballistic missiles from being launched into Wall Street. Social security is more than an adequate pension; it requires living long enough to retire. "No Child Left Behind" has taken on special meaning with the news that federal agents have advised school district officials in Georgia, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon and California that al Qaeda may have American children in their cross-hairs. The most important thing isn’t finding WMDs in Iraq—it’s not finding them here.

On November 2, keep in mind what mattered most on 9-11.