Split screen 145;exposed146; Bush

Saying they were not parties to the Bush-Kerry agreement, network officials insisted on their right to use the split screen to show the reactions of the candidate who was not speaking. That decision helped Kerry significantly at the debate in Coral Gables, Florida, many analysts said. The reaction shots 8216;8216;were not that kind to the President,8217;8217; said Shanto Iyengar, an expert on political communication at Stanford University.

The effect overall was that Kerry seemed aware of the camera8217;s gaze, and Bush, perhaps, did not. Then there was the height differential. Bush, who stands 5-foot-11, looked smaller behind his podium than Kerry did behind his. At 6-4, Kerry appeared to have a larger on-screen presence.

Kerry campaign officials were elated at the overall visual result. They said Bush8217;s reactions were reminiscent of Democratic candidate Al Gore8217;s memorable 8212; and counterproductive 8212; sighing in an encounter with Bush in 2000. 8212;LAT-WP