Posted on 10/01/2004 12:31:54 PM PDT by yoe
PBS host Jim Lehrer was challenged Friday morning on claims that he went easy on Sen. John Kerry during Thursday night's presidential debate, while tossing verbal hand grenades in President Bush's direction designed to keep him on the defensive.
PBS host Jim Lehrer was challenged Friday morning on claims that he went easy on Sen. John Kerry during Thursday night's presidential debate, while tossing verbal hand grenades in President Bush's direction designed to keep him on the defensive.
"I don't know what in the world you're talking about," Lehrer told radio host Don Imus, in his only post-debate interview.
"I would argue that my questions were right down the middle. There were some hardball questions for each candidate. There were some softball questions for each candidate. But for the most part they were just terrific."
The bias complaint, said Lehrer, was more of a commentary on his critics than a valid criticism of his own debate performance.
Still, some observers noted that Lehrer's questions largely focused on negative aspects of Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq - while avoiding Sen. Kerry's waffling on the issue, not to mention the top Democrat's long record of opposing measures to strengthen U.S. intelligence and national security.
At one point Lehrer claimed that over ten thousand U.S. soldiers had been killed in Iraq, before quickly revising that number to 1,052.
At the end of the debate, the PBS anchorman shook Sen. Kerry's hand - with some debate watchers claiming he gave the top Democrat a knowing wink.
In 1999, the president of Lehrer's network had to resign after admitting that 53 PBS affiliates had been sharing their donor lists with the Democratic National Committee for years.
In 1997, then-White House aide George Stephanopoulos revealed that President Clinton's reelection team thought it was a major coup when Lehrer was chosen to host one of the presidential debates, boasting that "our moderator" had been picked.
WOW!! No, I had not seen it - as you said, verrrrrry interesting. It certainly ups the wattage. Thanks for the ping.
Thanks for the photo. From this angle, Kerry looks even more like an idiot trying to hang onto that handshake.(whatever his reason) Savage may think it's a power thing but I think it looks more like a metrosexual kind of thing.
Some of these people honestly don't know. Asking President bush if there would be more terror attacks "when Kerry is elected President in November" seems reasonable to him! /s
Yes, Kerry looks like an idiot, he looks like a metrosexual. He just looks like a fool. All of the above. And all are correct answers.
I wouldn't put anything past the Kerry Kamp. They must know all about body language and what it does to an opponent, whether the opponent knows what's up or not.
Savage mentioned that he thought someone should have told the President to expect something like this. But Savage does believe that there is a Judas in the Bush camp.
Wouldn't surprise me.
Nothing surprises me anymore in politics, with the stakes so high.
Mary Matlin popped in my head on that. I have never forgiven her for Sr. Bush's loss in 92. I was dismayed to see Cheney bring her aboard in this administration and glad she left to "tend her babies". I may be totally wrong about her but anyone who marries and breeds children with snakehead is suspect.
There have been several Judas' in the administration - usually the leftovers from Clinton) and it is entirely possible.
As to Pres Bush's debate performance which I will not criticize - my thoughts about his demeanor (not what he was saying) was that something was going on - something he was upset about or weighing heavy. We may never know.
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