I watched tonight's debate between Betty Castor and Mel Martinez. It was an interesting 60 minutes, as moderator Tim Russert didn't level softball questions to either candidate. They dealt with the issue of Sami Al-Arian first, which took up about a quarter of the hour. I believe that Martinez lost some points when Russert asked both candidates if they would refrain from airing negative advertisments if the other agreed. Castor said she would if Martinez would agree; the Republican refused to take the bait, saying he would not decide campaign strategy "under these lights". He also lost out when he said he would privatize Social Security "for our younger folks."

Several times while Martinez was answering a question Castor looked at her opponent with a smile, looking as though she was ready to pounce. I do believe she won overall tonight.

--- BTW: Martinez did get an endorsement today, from the Naples Daily News.