No blow by blow on this one. I may not even watch the entire thing. (Update: OK, I watched the whole thing. These are more or less notes/reactions as we go.)

Cheney is already (in the first question) about 700 times more articulate than the President. He can actually explain the War on Terror.

Edwards just said straight up to Cheney that he's not being straight. If Cheney is really good, he'll make him regret that...OK, he's not that good...

Edwards is on the talking points about Tora Bora and the lack of a 9/11 connection with Saddam. He notably does not address the question as to whether Saddam would still be in power if they were Pres. and VP.

Cheney is killing me. He should be noting the 9/11 Commission did, in fact, find that Saddam had tried to work with Al Qaeda. He should be refuting the Tora Bora issue...

Hey! First John Kerry/Vietnam reference! I admit that was unexpected.

...Cheney is at his best when he's citing facts and figures and telling Edwards he's got his facts wrong...

I was almost going to tune out, concluding that debates are nothing but fluff and crap, but y'know, you can actually learn something listening to Cheney talk.

...Dick Cheney, respond on the Halliburton issue! Don't send people to a web site. That's for blogs! He's killin' me again... (And it's factcheck.ORG, not .com. Update: He just sent everyone to George Soros's site.)

"The first time I ever met you was when you walked out on the stage tonight." Boom. But Edwards has a good comeback detailing Cheney's record and he should have been ready for it. Don't create an opening if you don't have an effective block and counter ready.

...Edwards keeps dodging question after question. He also keeps using the time to go back and pile on the issue previous...and his raised eyebrow look on the split screen is driving me nuts...the situation here is a reverse of the previous - this time Cheney is looking better in the split screen reactions...

...Kerry/Edwards wants to DOUBLE the 15 billion we're giving to fight African AIDS? WOOF! Sounds nice. Where's THAT money coming from?...I'd like to hear Cheney make a point about the fact that Kerry is willing to send American troops and billions of dollars for humanitarian efforts in Africa, but none for Iraq...

...Cheney keeps covering the mic. It actually has the positive effect of making one listen a bit more closely to what he's saying. He comes across thoughtful, serious and well-informed...Edwards is smarmy. He's got a car to sell, or a weak legal case so he needs to wink at the jury a lot...

...Cheney REALLY needs to address the "Saddam didn't attack us on 9/11" thing (by emphasizing again how Iraq fits into the overall STRATEGIC War on Terror). He's ceding that talking point way too easily and is sacrificing his opportunities to respond too much (although I like that in some ways - he makes his point and moves on - it gives his words even more gravitas)...

...Would have liked to have seen Cheney with a laundry-list of specific Kerry flip-flops - there are a lot, and it would have been satisfying to hear them...

Edwards is ready while Cheney does the "I don't know where to begin" thing...unsatisfying...

Final thought: Cheney made the best of his final thoughts, leaving off on a plea for success in Iraq and Afghanistan. This was a far more satisfying and interesting debate than the Presidential spectacle. Both men were on display here and confirmed expectations - Cheney is thoughtful and well-informed, Edwards comes off slick and not so deep (Is there substance there? Maybe, but the fluff almost overwhelms it.). Cheney is the professor, Edwards the upstart student.

How many people watched the whole thing? I bet not many. This thing affects nothing.