I remember watching the first debate in 2000, and towards the beginning, Dubya looked kinda lost on a question, and saying to myself, "Oh no". Then he jockeyed out of it with a decent answer, and Algore's juvenile behavior and that 19th century mortician's makeup job did the rest. From that night, I knew we had it wrapped up.
Even though they say Ketchup Boy is a great closer(in Massachusetts), and they portray the President as an idiot, the new strategy is to downplay expectations for Cabana Boy next week. After weeks of telling us how great he's been in debates in Massachusetts, now they tell us he's the underdog in the debate. Which is it?
Actually, if I were on Dubya's SS detail, I'd be wary about Kerry trying to get in fisticuffs. That man is missing a can or two in his 6-pack. The Swifties unhinged him.
Kerry throws a baseball like a girl. Kerry throws a football like a girl. Kerry would throw a punch like a girl.
The only down side of a physical attack by Kerry on President Bush is the president just might knock some sense into him..
2,000 was the year that George W. Bush first played in the big leagues. Gore had been there for 8 years. Dubya did not know how he would stack up against an 8 year veteran. So Dubya was very nervous. But after the first encounter in the debate the adrenalin kicked in. I suspect it was much like the first time fighter pilot Bush was required to dog fight a much more experienced fighter pilot. The hands shake and the tummy churns.. until the first shots are fired.. then the desire to win kicks in and the right stuff skills take over.
Once George W. Bush survived the first encounter, he found out he was as good and maybe better than Gore.
This time it is Bush who is the experienced pro and Kerry is the spoiled little rich kid up against the President of the USA for the first time.
The one thing I knew about George W. Bush in 2,000 was he had passed the aptitude test to be a fighter pilot. He scored high on the leadership test and not so hot on the flight skills test.
I learned to fly back in the 1970's. My first instructor was a retired airforce ace. He had 5 MIGs under his belt. He too had scored high on the leadership and low on the flight skills.
After he soloed me, I asked to know how I stacked up as a student. The problem was I was his first primary flight student. Every student he had taught in the airforce was aready a pilot. Ken taught them to be figher pilots. So he showed me his own flight log. He had soloed me in half the time his airforce instructor had soloed him. It appeared I had better natural flight skills. But I also learned that natural flight skills are not what it takes to make an Airforce ACE.
The reason they did not wash Ken out of the airforce out was the tests showed he had the right stuff of a leader. That means he would make good decisions in very high stress situations.
Ken told me was almost anyone can be taught to fly a plane well. It just takes longer for some people to learn the skills requred. But what can't be taught is how to make smart decisions in a heartbeat under the extreme stress of arial combat.
Ken proved the Airforce right, by becoming an ace.
George W. Bush's test results show a man who can remain cool, and in total control. Dubya's test scores show ne can make smart decisions under extreme stress.
Kerry does not look like he has the right stuff. George W. Bush proved with Gore he does have the right stuff.
It would matter not the nature of the contest... a fight with planes or a fight with words the right stuff is the right stuff. I would not want to try to best either Chuck Yeager or George W. Bush in any kind of fight. Let me say it again... the right stuff is the right stuff. It matter not if the contest is fought with words at 10 paces, rifles at 100 yards, or atomic bombs at 6,000 miles. The right stuff is the stuff.
Kerry will find that out in just a few days.
Not only is he a couple of cans short of a 6-pack, but I think he is a sick man -- physically as well as mentally.
One of the things that bothers me the most (besides his flip-flopping) is that he apparently has little energy and no resilience health-wise. He seems to have to rest on a regular basis and has taken more vacations during this campaign than I have ever seen/heard of a candidate taking. I'd guess that the "vacations" are to regenerate his energy level so that he can go out on the campaign trail again. But, that's just my feeling about Kerry.