SMACKDOWN!(presidential candidates debate)

Who won the war of words in the presidential one-on-one? Three of the nation's top high school debaters rate the debate.

George W. Bush and Al Gore had at each other in a series of three presidential debates. Now we've asked three of the nation's top high school debaters to have at them.

For most Americans, the presidential debates are the first time they can really glimpse the raw candidates--not in a prepared and well-rehearsed speech, not in an expensively produced TV commercial, not as told by some journalist. They are simply the two contenders scrapping with each other one-on-one for the biggest job on earth.

Who won? Many people will make up their minds based on their prior allegiances. The real winner won't be decided until Election Day. We gave our experts a different task: to watch the first debate on October 3, and score the candidates as they would a high school debate. Who attacked and who defended, who answered the arguments, who was vague, who missed opportunities? Here are their ballots.

A Knockout by Gore

MICHAEL KLINGER, 17

Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook, Illinois

Al Gore controlled the debate from the outset. Within the first 10 minutes, the Vice President repeatedly stated his main argument, that Bush's tax-cut proposal would help only the wealthiest Americans. From then on, Gore hammered this issue home aggressively, often speaking beyond the time allotted, despite the protests of the moderator, Jim Lehrer. While this move by Gore risked giving him the appearance of a bully, the Vice President managed to dominate with civility and came across merely as possessing superior leadership qualities. By comparison, Governor Bush often looked frustrated and timid. He was repeatedly unable to respond to Gore's claim that the Governor's proposed tax cut would cater to the wealthiest 1 percent of citizens. And Bush let himself be interrupted by both Gore and Lehrer.

Bush's fallback to claims that Gore used "fuzzy math" or insults about Gore "inventing the calculator" only made him look bad. It seemed that whenever Bush found himself without substance to throw back at Gore, he threw dirt instead.

On other topics Gore simply overwhelmed Bush with his ability to recite information and statistics about oil consumption, education, or welfare. While the Vice President gave innovative impromptu responses to Lehrer's questions, Bush was unable to discuss the intricacies of topics he had not prepared for, and instead reiterated...