The candidates took turns debating various issues, among them the Patriot Act and national debt. Gard, who appeared stiff and overly rehearsed, stared down the camera while he argued his points, most of which he stumbled over as if he was trying to remember a script. Kagen on the other hand appeared to be much more relaxed, however he spent all of his time attacking the Republican party and skirting around the issues.

Neither Kagen nor Gard seemed to have done a great job in the debate, however, Kagen's charasmatic speaking style gave him the obvious edge over the robotic, and sometimes creepy, Gard.

When asked about the Patriot Act, Gard defended the bill fiercely, claiming it was in the economic interest of the United States, without explaining to what extent. He then claimed that terrorists think it is "glorious in God's eyes to kill us." Kagen turned the same question into an opportunity to attack President Bush by claiming he is "not the right leader" and by insinuating that he is neither honest nor has good judgement. He later claimed that America is "tough, not smart" when it came to preventing terrorism and that he is concerned what "the real enemy will become if we are fearful." Kagen never stated that he was against the Patriot Act, and made sure that he clarified that if he was on a plane that a terrorist was on, he would fight back, to which Gard smartly replied "I dont want a terrorist on a plane!"

Neither candidtae was completely impressive in the debate, however, overall appearance gave the dabate to Kagen who was relaxed and charasmatic. While he did spent too much time attacking Bush and the republican party, he overall presented some good points and made a much better impression that Gard.