Whether they were for George W. Bush or Al Gore or still undecided, members of an Enquirer voter panel that watched Tuesday night's third and final presidential debate agreed the question of who won and who lost is an open one.

        “The fact is that in this debate, they didn't really answer a lot of the questions,” said 46-year-old Rousseau O'Neal, a Baptist minister from Paddock Hills.

        Several of the Enquirer panelists said that in the town meeting-style debate, Mr. Gore was strongest in the first half and Mr. Bush stronger in his answers in the second.

        “I was undecided when this debate started, and I think I'm still undecided,” said Nicole Miller of Oakley, a 22-year-old stu dent at Xavier University.

        “I felt that early in the debate, Gore was on top, but towards the end, Bush did much better,” Ms. Miller said.

        “I get the impression that these are two very good people, but two people who really don't like each other very much; they almost seem like they hate each other,” Ms. Miller said.

        LaVerne Collins, a 52-year-old secretary from Deer Park, said she was for Mr. Bush before and after the debate and thought Mr. Bush's performance was superior.

        “Gore seemed like he was on the defensive,” Mrs. Collins said. “It got so heated at one point I thought they might actually physically tangle.”

        Edwin Barnes, a 48-year-old university professor from Fort Thomas, said that when a question came from the audience about cynicism in the political process, “I thought they were talking about me; that's exactly how I feel.

        “This didn't change my mind,” Mr. Barnes said. “I didn't think there was a lot of substance in this. Mostly posturing.”

        Ms. Miller said that, while she didn't like to admit it, style over substance sometimes sways voters.

        “George W. Bush looked better,” she said. “His appearance is softer. He had a nicer suit on, and Al Gore's appearance was just so hard. And he didn't need that. Americans want to see him as someone who is genuine and open ... and I'm sorry that George W. Bush looked cute.”

        But the Rev. Mr. O'Neal warned how important it is to look past appearances and sound bites and concentrate on what the candidates are saying.

        Marietta Ginoccho, a 61-year-old office manager from Cincinnati, said undecided voters may have a hard time getting a realistic picture of the candidates' platforms from merely watching the debate.

        “This is all spin,” she said. “It's just so much marketing. And Gore has suffered from that. His advisers are telling him he's got to be this, he's got to do this, because that's what people want. But we're no longer able to see these people who they really are because they have been so prepped.”

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