It turned out to be a great choice. In a campaign dominated by Iraq and terror, Schieffer brought the domestic issues to the fore and did so in a way that was illuminating about both men. Asking "Is homosexuality a choice?" was far more interesting than the generic gay marriage amendment question that both campaigns had surely prepped for. The question about faith was illuminating about Bush’s born again Methodism and Kerry’s good works Catholicism.

If Kerry is inaugurated on January 20, these debates will have been the reason why. His cool, fill-the-time before the buzzer answers and demeanor has stood in contrast to the miasma of Swift Boats and flip flops. He’s climbed in the polls steadily through the debate period and after this will probably continue that trend. Tonight he gained again by getting to talk about his faith. The country knows about George W. Bush’s strong religious beliefs. For the first time they got to connect Kerry to his. Plus he managed to get off some good panders. Ohio job loss numbers! Education monies denied Arizona! And a Native American pander that surely didn’t go unnoticed in razor-tight New Mexico. Kerry’s unwavering support for abortion rights was a risky gambit in Pennsylvania, Iowa and Wisconsin where cultural conservative Democrats are still in the Senator’s sights. But it was a direct answer that didn’t seem like one that would be offered by a guy who is a flip flopper.

Bush helped himself, too. His constant barrage of numbers — how many did he memorize for this thing? — probably helped ease the impression that he doesn’t pay attention to domestic issues. More importantly, several times he used the phrase “next four years” — pushing himself into the future and making himself the agent of change. Why did John Kerry abandon the “more of the same” line that had worked so well in previous debates? This time, Bush hijacked the phrase.

Of course, Bush had some of the goofiness that characterized the first debate. Memo to Karl Rove: Do not let the president laugh when asked about rising health care costs. When asked who is to blame, Bush responded with the bizarre “Gosh, I hope it’s not the administration.” And Bush really did say that he didn’t think about Osama that much. The Democrats have had an ad with that tape all week. Bush’s advisers should have seen it coming. Also, how can Bush invoke Ted Kennedy twice as the specter of paleoliberalism and then tout him as his signature partner in his signature domestic program, the No Child Left Behind education bill? It’s hard to excoriate him one moment and praise him the next. And what’s with the Massachusetts dissing? Chiding one part of the country as “left bank” is so September 10th. Or so 1992.

Kerry clearly missed a lot of opportunities. He could have said on health care costs: “All we get are excuses....” And I’ve been waiting for Kerry to turn Bush’s “soft bigotry of expectations” line on Bush himself. The closing statement was utterly anodyne. But the debate itself wasn’t.

Now it's a new phase of the campaign. Neither candidate will have a chance to command the national stage before election night. What comes next are almost three weeks of sniping and under the radar shots whether it's direct mail or robo-telephone calls or mysterious third party ads. The end of campaigns have tended to be their ugliest and least illuminating. It's worth savoring this last, above-board debate moment.

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