Washington ? John Kerry came to Thursday night’s debate caricatured as an indecisive windbag, but he went after President Bush with a flurry of verbal punches that put Bush on the defensive.

Showing combativeness and brevity that often have eluded him, Kerry forcefully challenged Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism. Bush pushed backed, but a president known for his resolute determination came across at times as hesitant and testy. He frowned, pursed his lips and bit the inside of his cheek as Kerry attacked the president’s performance in office again and again.

“I know Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that,” Bush said when Kerry suggested that Bush might have confused the al Qaida leader with ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The 90-minute encounter at the University of Miami ended without any major gaffes from either candidate, and partisans on both sides predictably declared victory. But Kerry will have accomplished a lot if his aggressive approach helped counter his image as a waffler on Iraq.

“I’ve had one position, one consistent position: that Saddam Hussein was a threat; there was a right way to disarm him, and a wrong way. And the president chose the wrong way,” he said.

Neither candidate had much new to say about Iraq. Bush repeated his belief that the world is better off without Saddam in power, even if he didn’t have weapons of mass destruction. And he continued to accuse Kerry of undermining the war effort with his criticism.

“He changes positions on the war on Iraq,” Bush said of his opponent. “Mixed messages send the wrong signals to our troops. Mixed messages send the wrong signals to our allies. Mixed messages send the wrong signals to the Iraqi citizens.”

Kerry had the most to prove in the Thursday night showdown. He went into the debate trailing Bush in the polls and behind on the key questions of whether voters trust him or the president to deal with terrorism and Iraq.

The debate, which was expected to draw nearly 60 million viewers, gave the Massachusetts senator a chance to re-introduce himself to Americans whose image of him has been formed largely by campaign ads and truncated media reports. The two candidates stood side-by-side for 90 minutes where people could watch them without editing and interrupting commentary. It might have come as a revelation to be able to watch two men think out loud without their speech being condensed down to sound bites.

Bush faced different challenges. Four years ago, he was relatively unknown Washington outsider who had to counter his image as amiable but uninformed, but whose plain-spoken straight talk contrasted nicely with his opponent, Vice President Al Gore. Now Bush’s intelligence and determination are settled issues for most voters — this time around it’s his judgment that’s in question.

Bush played to his strengths, casting himself as a steady hand in turbulent times. He also showed his human side, recalling his meeting with the widow of a soldier who died in Iraq.

“I told her after we prayed and teared up and laughed some that I thought her husband’s sacrifice was noble and worthy,” Bush said. “Every life is precious. That’s what distinguishes us from the enemy.”

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