I like watching them but this is my 'as unbiased as possible' opinion of how it went:
- Harper did not do too bad, but it was awkward how he kept looking at the camera when answering and talking to the other leaders. It just felt really awkward, or even creepy in some socially awkward manner. That said, he was under attack the whole time and did a good job staying on his message. His worst moment was the 2004 coalition defense, but the topic was changed so he survived it.
- Ignatieff did OK but did not land the 'blow' to Harper he needed. Worst moment was the Layton attendance comment. He could easily have said he was out there meeting Canadians, etc. but he seemed ratted by the comment. Other than that, not bad, but not the one he needed.
- Layton landed the best blow (the Ignatieff comment), but other than that had a hard time getting his platform and message out. I have seen him better.
- I have seen Duceppe better. Loved the "congratulations on taking your first question from a citizen" comment, but he had a hard time being clear and jumped on too many topics when answering one question.
In the end, none of the leaders did anything to really change the vote. But the debates rarely do.
Looks like the election will still hinge on the issues that brought us here in the first place(and the ones that spring up like yesterday), and not the debate this time.