I'm in the minority -- I think the debates will actually HElP Bush. He's not beloved for his intellect or way with words. He's got these startling numbers because he seems accessible, ordinary, and a phrase I loathe: a straight-shooter. He makes fun of his own errors, and I think even a gaff would be laughed off. No one expects him to be expert at anything -- merely "honest with the people."
He survives by hiding behind the illusion of (another freshly loaded word:) "resolve." That inflexibility, never changing your mind, never admitting a tacticcal error suggest strength. The debates will enforce this view of his "character: -- if he ends up babbling and blowing a spit bubble.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling