Posted on 09/30/2004 7:48:13 PM PDT by wagglebee
Presidential debate moderator Jim Lehrer showed once again Thursday night why top aides to President Clinton used to call him "our moderator" when presidential debate time rolled around in 1996.
The questions, which Lehrer announced at the outset had been authored exclusively by him, were supposed to help the American people determine which candidate would be a better steward of U.S. national security in a post-9/11 world.
But there were no queries to Sen. Kerry about his long Senate record of voting against defense appropriations; or his sponsorship of a bill to cut CIA funding by 6 billion dollars a year after terrorists struck the World Trade Center in 1993; or Kerry's support of the nuclear freeze movement during the height of the Cold War.
Kerry wasn't asked about why he teamed up with Jane Fonda to protest the Vietnam War while his band of brothers were still on the battlefield, or why he met with enemy leaders in Paris, or why he accused fellow soldiers of being "monsters" and "war criminals."
Most Americans would consider the answers to those questions extremely relevant to the selection of any U.S. commander-in-chief during a time of war.
But not Jim Lehrer. Instead, he focused on Iraq with question after question that suggested Bush had blown it.
Here's a sampling:
"You said there was a miscalculation in Iraq," Lehrer asked the president. "What was it and how did it happen?"
"What colossal misjudgments, in your opinion," Lehrer asked Kerry, "has President Bush made in these areas [Iraq]?"
To Bush: "Mr. President, has Iraq been worth the cost in American lives -10,052 - I mean 1,052 up to today?"
To Kerry: "You've repeatedly accused President Bush of lying to the American people on Iraq. Give us some examples of the president being untruthful on Iraq?"
Despite his focus on Iraq, however, Lehrer never asked why Kerry voted to authorize the war, then turned around and voted against the legislation to fund it. Or why he voted against authorization for the first Gulf War, even though President Bush's father had amassed just the kind of coalition Kerry says the U.S. needs now.
Likewise, the PBS host declined to ask Kerry about comments in recent days from French and German officials who announced they have no intention of sending troops to Iraq, even if Kerry is elected.
That's quite a stunning development, given that Kerry's Iraq policy rests almost solely on the promise that he'll persuade Old Europe to pitch in and take some of the load off U.S. forces.
But not stunning enough, apparently, to interest Mr. Lehrer.
why does anyone expect anything different ... we all act so surprised when the left tries to undermine or undercut W and conservatives ... the leaders of godless liberalism will have to answer for their deeds in the hereafter... until then, we fight back with the knowledge that we won't get an even break ... let's let it go at that
I think Bush was irritate not only at Kerry's cheap shots, but at the powder puff questions Lehrer asked Kerry and the loaded questions Lehrer asked Bush. I've never seen a more biased setting in my life. Down with Lehrer!
All great points....
At one point, Kerry said that he would immediately cut a new research program for bunker-busting weapons. As soon as he said this I was thinking to myself "This is it Mr. President, hammer him right now on his history of voting against the military time and time again". But alas, he didn't do it.
I think Bush was really far too easy on Kerry throughout pretty much the whole debate.
Who moderates the next debate?
Couldn't put it any more succinctly. President Bush was railroaded.
I'm sorry about the UN, too.
Hey, didn't it bother you the way that al-Q'erry danced from foot to foot during the debate? And don't answer, "Depends."
I believe it is as follows:
VP Debate - Gwen Ifill
2nd Pres Debate - Charles Gibson
3rd Pres Debate - Bob Schieffer
I think I read something about the GOP requesting having Schieffer removed...must be some little beef with CBS or something.
Got this from google search, hope it's accurate.
I disagree.
I think the moderator should be a moderator and no more. He should ask questions given to him at the beginning of the debate. The DNC and RNC need to compose the questions of an equal number and hand them to the moderator just minutes before the debate.
I couldn't stand to watch all of it.
Kerry makes me want to throw things and shout at the TV, and my Kid was already in bed...so I watched bits and pieces and listened to the commentary...
I didn't notice him doing THAT, but i LIKE your line!
Too much Evian water at the spa, you think?
LOL!
The President handled them brilliantly.
The pauses were absolutely right on - as every word President Bush said (and every word Kerry said - though he did not care) is weighed by our enemies, our allies, and our troops in harm's way. By the way, being "slow to speak" from the Biblical perspective is a very big PLUS not a minus. Careless words make for bad trouble for all concerned and in the case of the leader of the free world - it makes for bad trouble potentially for millions. Can you imagine the weight of THAT knowledge on yourself? This President handled the pressure very very well - brilliantly in fact.
OF course he looked tired (which I did not think). The debate puts him past his bedtime. Maybe our enemies saw to it that he had esepcially stressing times today - for instance the bombing that killed those Iraqi children. Can you imagine hearing that news on the day you have to debate this traitor about foreign policy?????
Our President did beautifully. I was very very impressed. I expected much much worse and had terrible fears of worse - but he again was misunderstimated and won. Thank God! Again!
LOL!!!!
"Kerry: Strange at home; Rejected abroad" is good enough to be someone's tag line! However, I'm keeping the one I've got until the election is over, because of the overwhelming need to link Kerry to Soros, and to remind folks that he's been a BIG NOTHING for at least 20 years!!!!
The objective is to make things more equal, always. And some animals are more equal than others.
There were no questions about why Democratic Senator's from Georgia might think Kerry was so questionable and downright dangerous due to his work in the Senate as it relates to military spending and votes on equipment.
There were no questions about why Kerry would not release his complete record of service. What we saw was a liberal journalist seeking to ease concerns about the challenger. Lehrer is a more cunning version of Rather.
131 - great comparison of questions. Many thanks.
That was my feeling too.
Foreign policy and defense issues should be Bush's forte.
For whatever the reason, Bush didn't score a decisive win against Kerry.
A decisive victory by Bush might have permanently ended Kerry's presidential hopes.
I worry about this so-called "townhall" debate format. I could be wrong but I suspect that the "undecided" voters attending it might not be so undecided after all.
Not so long ago, I noticed that W started speaking, except when on campaign trail, quietly and weakly. He started over-pronouncing his words...very deliberately as if he is reading to children. He has gotten worse instead of better at public speaking. I am afraid that he is and has been reacting to criticism and has become intimidated. I also feel that he won't strike back enough and be tough enough due to fear of being criticized. In short, to me he has become somewhat paralyzed cause his "people" have over-managed him to the extent that he is afraid to do anything.
Yeah, let's not face reality. Conspiracy theories are much more comforting.
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