Posted on 09/30/2004 11:11:23 PM PDT by WarrenC
Overall: Bush gets a big win, by hitting all his messages over and over again. He wins on substance. Biggest mistake by Kerry: "The Global Test." Sorry, the American voters aren't interested in passing any global tests. Bush stresses steadfastness and resolve. Kerry firmed up the hard-left vote, but you can't win on this.
Lehrer started poorly, but came on strong.
UPDATE: The FoxNews panel agrees: "Global Test" is the takeaway. On substance, Kerry wants appeasement of North Korea and Iran, globalization of conflict resolution, and a summit. Bush wants to take the war to the terrorists. Kerry wants meetings.
Bill Kristol thinks Kerry supporters are heartened. I agree. But so are Bush supporters. Kristol: "The core of the Bush claim is 9/11, and the world changed, and the Democrats want to go back to 9/10."
The message is simple, says Barnes: Your children will be safer. Fred's right. Bush knew what he had to do which is speak the truth about the war and the nature of the struggle.
Spinning is underway everywhere, but tomorrow and for 30+ days I'll be playing the global test clip, because it was the window into Kerry's soul, and Bush immediately rejected it because Bush wants nothing of it. As I wrote below: Game, set, match.
True no global test required. Kerry will want a global test after St. Marys elementary is taken hostage and our kids are being raped and burned and tortured. He will want coalitons and nation building before action and what if he doesn't get the nations to help... what if they all say too bad so sad you told us before we were meaningless... Will he have the guts to do whats right... NO..
Kerry came off as a typical politician full of promises and short on delivery. Empty suit.
The President was more human, more real, less scripted, resolved, confident and optimistic.
One man tells us what he thinks we want to hear and one man speaks from his heart.
Speaking of the "Global Test," let's look at how North Korea scores on the "Global Test" that Kerry mentioned in tonight's presidential debate:
·Kerry has criticized Bush on the campaign and during tonight's debate for not giving the U.N. and multilateral diplomacy a chance in Iraq before committing to military action
·Kerry said during the debate that "nuclear proliferation" is the biggest threat to America and pointed to North Korea as the major malefactor in that threat
·Since it was discovered North Korea was attempting to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons in October 2002, Bush has used a multilateral diplomatic coalition of at least five nations (USA, China, Japan, South Korea, and Russia) to contain the potential North Korean nuclear threat
·During tonight's debate, Kerry told America that to end North Korea's nuclear proliferation, he would hold bilateral talks rather than using the leverage that China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia would bring to the negotiations
In other words, Kerry said that America should take a unilateral approach (REMEMBER: Taking a "bilateral" approach i.e. having the USA deal directly with threats, has been called "unilateral" by Kerry earlier this month when he said in a campaign speech that Bush "has chosen to move in a unilateral way" in the War on Terror) in dealing with North Korea. Kerry himself described North Korea and "the spread of nuclear weapons was the biggest threat facing the United States" in Thursday night's debate—so why is Kerry willing to squander the international goodwill created by the Bush Administration's diplomats between China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia and "go it alone" with North Korea?
Does this mean that Kerry is doesn't think North Korea's nuclear weapons program passes the "Global Test" to have multilateral talks? We'll see if Hugh picks up on this for tomorrow's show. If not, you can hear more about it on Republican Radio this Saturday...
How large of an audience does Hugh Hewitt have? We don't get him in Southeast Texas. Is he national or local?
Hugh Hewitt has a fast growing radio program. He is the king of the bloggers as I see it . you can get the stream from his websight www.hughhewitt.com
We get him here in Oregon.
He isn't doing it. So we need to do it.
Here is an easy to read chart of what the media was saying pre-911 (and after): Connect the Dots...Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Send it to your friends. Send it to the media.
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bttt
I agree. Although the pauses and slight fumbles by the president were discouraging, it was obvious he was speaking with conviction and from his heart. I felt like he was addressing the American people and not Lehrer or the debate punditry. And didnt come with anything canned. The media is spinning it as a Kerry win. But how are they defining win? Bush had the more convincing points and didnt lie and I think connected to voters better. Kerry seemed to be going through the motions of a president but just saying random stuff that he didnt really believe. I am wondering, all these people who say Kerry won what is their definition of winning? The polls arent showing Kerry winning in any way that matters.
Yes, IMO, he did.
I didn't see the live debate because of work, however I saw it via C-span when I got home.
I truly anticipate a slight increase in the polls for Dubya after the first debate for I didn't see a presidential resonance coming from Kerry.
Also, beside the way negative attacks on Dubya were conveyed showed once again the pettiness of the Kerry campaign. I'm sure the "pass the global test" statement didn't hit home with the undecideds either.
Or a summit to discuss it (without offending anyone). Well-- my kids are adults now, but if those freaks took over a school in MY neighborhood, I would be over there with my gun--ready to route them out of there. And I bet a lot of brave men would be helping me. And a manicured #$%%& like Kerry would be no help whatsoever.
short and sweet summation of tonight's debate
Now get some sleep!
I am
Good Night!
Timely...will include today.
Please, Hugh. Don't play stunningly irritating clips over and over again until I change the station.
What are you doing while you play all this awful stuff?
I tune in to listen to your fabulous commentary, not to get irritated out of my mind.
You didn't tell me not to. What kept you going? Whatever it was, I bet it's not working today.
LOL! Annoyance that most everyone declared last night a Kerry victory. Clearly no one was listening to the substance of what Kerry was saying because if they had, they would be very afraid.
I squeezed in 4 hours of sleep. How are you?
It looked like Bush was over prepared and pre-freak, and all sKerry had to do was get him on the defensive. With Bush being frank and emotional, being on the defensive, he sounded whiny I'm afraid.
As for me it's been Calamity Jane time.
Worst Kerry mistake in my book: Something like "we must separate the war from the warrior." Obviously a new concept for Hanoi John.
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