The Slog of War; Head to head: Bush limped into St. Louis, but bounded back out--confident that his debate performance left the race dead even. Two down, one to go.(George W. Bush, John Kerry meet in second presidential campaign debate, Missouri)

Byline: Richard Wolffe (With Howard Fineman, Tamara Lipper, Susannah Meadows, T. Trent Gegax and Michael Isikoff)

It's become the game within the game on debate night: who can get to the spin room first? A week ago in Coral Gables, Fla., Team Kerry scored, arriving triumphantly to proclaim victory over the many faces of George W. Bush. This time the Bush camp was determined not to be outdone. At 10 o'clock, a full half hour before Charlie Gibson rang down the curtain on the "Fury in Missouri," a gaggle of the president's aides gathered in Spin Alley for a choice bit of political stagecraft.

They high-fived, slapped backs and flashed grins at a roomful of reporters, who were still busy decoding a flurry of arguments over tax cuts, health care and the environment. The passion play ended quickly--the aides didn't bother actually spinning anybody until later--but the point was clear: the ghosts of Florida had been exorcised. Bush was Bush again. The president's crew radiated relief and a sense of renewed confidence,…