Will You Watch the Debate?

"if he says one more time 'this is hard work'...I'm going to take a hammer to the TV screen!"

Hey, it IS hard work, compared to branding drunken frat brothers or going AWOL from the Guard...

Kerry wants to build strong alliances then says wants to go at north Korea alone?

Oh yeah,nimn, that's exactly why Bush is going to win by a landslide, he is the candidate for American chauvinism.

We've climbed the mighty mountain and I see the valley of peace?!

35 CHILDREN died today in Iraq, fer crissake...

I want some of what Shrub's smokin'.

Kerry was unremarkable...

Bush talks about a free Afghanistan and a free Iraq as being vital to the security of the US, but it is the US that is the biggest violator of Afghani and Iraqi freedom. The US is occupying both counties, and is attempting to impose what it believes is the best political/economic system for them, and is operating through puppet governmets in both countries. That's freedom?

Pass the global test? Kerry is a sell out!

Tonights debate was The Professor VS The Cowboy.

The Professor won by a mile.

Oy. Bush's closing statement was definitely better. Kerry's was better than I thought it'd be, but Bush's, I hafta admit, was pretty good. Clever how he kinda pulled the viewers into the circle, talking of all "we" have been through together, climbing a mighty mountain - like this "valley of peace" is all of the viewers' achievement, too. Flattering 'em, appealing to their pride. Yep. Kerry was asking them for their support, Bush was thanking them for their support. Well, the advantage of being the incumbent, too, I guess.

All in all, probably a draw? Thats probably not going to be good enough to pull Kerry up in the polls though ...

Whose idea was it to have the first debate be about national security / foreign policy? Or rather, why did the Kerry camp agree? He has obviously a harder case to defend than Bush on that, if you look at the basic attitide of Americans about such things ... I mean, the whole "going to the allies and asking them, what do you need from us in order to come to a deal" thing. And the second and third debates are viewed significantly less, and have less of an impact on the race.

Bush says 'I know how the world works'.

Yeah right.

My dog has a better concept of how the world works than Bush does.

Pretty much a yawner, wasn't it.

Kerry did come across as the more skilled debater and attacked Bush's Presidency as effectively as could be expected. But Bush responded well I think.

My summary:

KERRY: This President did everything wrong re: Iraq.

BUSH: Did not.

BUSH: Kerry is a flipflopper

KERRY: Am not.

Rex, your understanding of the term global test is the same as the President's and you are both mistaken.

Joe

Was that a biblical reference? I dont know sh!t about the Bible, but it sounds like it could have been biblical.

I was surprised about Kerry's forceful ending with "May God bless America", but if this was biblical it was definitely a way more clever/effective way of appealing to Christian sentiment ...

ADD: Post-debate caller-in at CSpan, "registered Independent", voted for Bush's father, but "will never vote for this man":

"He's not consistent, he's stubborn - and he's stubbornly wrong"

Right on.

Larry, LOL @ the summary

I agree, not only the closing, but the whole debate was well spoken by both.

Both Kerry and Bush held their ground, I also put this one at a tie.

As a Bush supporter, I found it interesting to be able to listen to Kerry and understand his reasons for thinking about different ways to do things. At the same time, I have to still agree with Bush that there is no way to pull out now without causing great harm to the security of the country.

I have to wonder now, as I have during every debate I have listened to. Is it possible that the sitting President might just know a little more about situations than his rival? It could explain such a great difference in their thoughts.

When Bill Clinton debated George Bush Sr. I felt that Clinton won those debates. I still did not like Clinton, but I thought he spoke better.

When George Jr debated Gore, I thought that Bush beat Gore hands down.

This debate tonight? I call a tie on their convictions and their ability to explain their position. My personal choice is still to follow the path that President Bush wants to follow.

Best debate in years.

Yep, I watched it. Very interesting.
Kerry gains with facts and Bush with commiseration with the soldier victims. Actually he cried.
Both were self confident.

That "stubbornly wrong" stood me up too, Nimh. Kerry should hire that guy... if he doesn't already employ him.

That was hard to watch. What the hell is going on when those two imbeciles are the best we have to offer? My decision to vote for Bush would have just wavered immensely if Kerry had anything to offer.

Larry's got it pretty close. So did InfraBlue with the Tweedle's. I am thoroughly disgusted.

I want everyone in this country to watch and listen to Tony Blair on the floor fielding questions some time before the next election. Wow.

PS. If there are any masochists out there; they will be replaying that all night on C-SPAN.

Bottom line is, who would you trust with your children's lives and futures?

Shrub's already shown he doesn't give a damn about the lives of American kids, a thousand of them anyway-- with God knows how many more yet to come, and his ridiculous tax cuts have mortgaged the future on the backs of those kids who'll still be alive after some future president finally gets us out of the Iraqi quagmire.

(Was probably a relative)