I don't know how you define domination but Kerry had Bush on the defensive as early as 15 minutes into the debate. From that point on, Bush had to use four or five of the extra 30 second time allowances in order to defend himself against Kerry. To my recollection, Kerry only requested one additional allowance of time. I call that domination.
Kerry's responses were more substantial, replete with stats, figures, names, treaties, etc. He showed more depth of knowledge in regards to American and international history. He used phrases spoken by Bush's own administration to defend Kerry's stance and remarks against Bush, including Powell's bucket analogy "If you break it, you fix it."
Kerry's responses often showed more depth of thought than Bush's. When replying to Bush's comments regarding how he feels about the troops fighting and dying in Iraq, Kerry's reply contained this bit of wisdom-- "Don't confuse the war with the warrior."
Bush, on the other hand, struggled most of the evening, especially during the extra time allottments, to come up with different ways to explain himself. He was stuck in the rut of using phrases over and again-- "a war at the wrong place at the wrong time" (5 times), "this is a grand diversion" (3), "we're getting the job done" (4), "we looked at the same intelligence" (4), "America will be more secure" (2).
I thought Bush was at his lowest point when asked if he thought attacks similar to 9/11 would occur under a Kerry presidency. In a rather defiant, smug manner, looking off into some nether region of the stage, he replied that he didn't think it will happen again because Kerry won't become president. (Hopefully this psychic is better than the one that told him that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that we would be greeted as liberators.)
And if one were to judge this debate solely on how the candidates looked, Bush would lose hands down. Bush is an open book. Every time Kerry spoke, Bush showed what he was feeling and thinking on his face. Bush was never comfortable having to listen to Kerry talk, no matter what Kerry's topic, even when Kerry wasn't slamming him. See Bush roll his eyes. See Bush scowl. See Bush chew on his lip. (This is the same look he displayed when he was listening to the kids read "My Pet Goat.") And see the corners of Bush's mouth droop below his chin and nearly off his face.
And the most uncomfortable moment for me was having to watch Bush give his closing remarks. His eyelids were blinking faster than windshields in a Florida hurricane. Call it the nerves, but it surely didn't look presidential.
Kerry, on the other hand, showed confidence, diplomatic composure, and had a presidential air to him. And this is key--no unusual faces.
