In the July/August Atlantic, James Fallows wrote an illuminating piece on the then-upcoming debates between George W. Bush and John Kerry. For his article, rather than talking to campaign spinners for each side and reporting what they said, he dove into the archival record of each man's debates, and made an astonishing discovery: 10 years ago, George W. Bush was an articulate, forceful debater. Tough to belive, but when Fallows reviewed the tapes of Bush's 1994 debate with Anne Richards, he found that not only did Bush win the debate, but he spoke well. I believe this article is responsible for the Democratic expectation raising talking point that Bush had never lost a debate (now that he's lost three to John Kerry, this talking point is a little worn out). video shows what James Fallows reported as a striking deterioration in George W. Bush's speaking skills in last 10 years.