After the first Bush-Kerry presidential debate in late September 2004, communications specialists said both candidates needed to sharpen their physical presence before the two remaining encounters and the 2 November election.
Atlanta body language consultant Patti Wood said Bush opened confidently but then repeated himself, grimaced, and smirked in ways she called unpresidential. Kerry started the debate flustered, she said, and failed to make direct eye contact with the camera, projecting anger rather than warmth.
Allan Bonner, a Canadian academic who teaches communications, said Bush established early command by crossing the stage to greet Kerry with a handshake, which helped him reach his core voter base. Even so, Bush looked openly confused while Kerry challenged his Iraq record. Bonner added that Kerry swayed noticeably throughout, which at times made him appear less assured.
The Democratic National Committee released a 51-second video, "Faces of Frustration," pairing the two candidates' expressions side by side. Specialists noted that nonverbal behavior drives 50 to 70 percent of a speaker's overall impact, and the 32 pages of rules the campaigns negotiated for the debates likely made physical cues more significant than either side realized.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.