When they were not firing muskets loaded with rusty nails into each other's faces, they were engaged in a competitive warmth-out -- Michael Dukakis trying furiously to grin, with meager results; Bush's grin wandering, with random abundance, all over his face and off into the air. Given his wrinkles (and his plight), Lloyd Bentsen's grin was hard to distinguish from a wince. Off to the side, Dan Quayle was giving high school students his version of the Stephen Sondheim lyric "Lovely is the one thing I can do."
% The candidates were encouraged to talk about everything but what was happening...