Kerry falls into the orchestra pit

John Kerry won Thursday's presidential debate. He was decisive, in command of the facts, and presidential.

I was disturbed to find out yesterday about a story that suggests Kerry brought in a debate "cheat sheet."

Roger Ailes, a top political consultant before he was head of Fox News, might have filed this one under his "orchestra pit theory." The orchestra pit theory of the media is simple; a man comes onto a stage, announces the discovery of the cure for cancer, and then falls into an orchestra pit. The next day, all across America, the banner headlines scream; "Man falls into orchestra pit."

Will we resist the temptation to make "cheat sheet gate" the talk of the newscycle? Obviously, if Kerry purposely broke the rules, it would be an issue. But debate negotiations were conducted by proxy, and it seems unlikely that Kerry would 1) cheat at all and 2) try to do it in front of the cameras.

I was standing near George W. Bush a week before election day 2000. Because of my vantage point, I could see a discrete crib sheet in his hand, which he'd reference from time to time. Isn't that more disturbing that what Kerry is accused of doing? Shouldn't it be the story of the day that the President looked bewildered, confused, frustrated, and out of control on Thursday?

Or will the headlines announce that Kerry fell into the orchestra pit?