Posted on 10/01/2004 7:20:26 AM PDT by PhiKapMom
Last night, President Bush spoke with passion and clarity about the war on terror and the road ahead – and John Kerry’s credibility gap grew larger. He called the war a “mistake” but said that our troops in Iraq aren’t dying for a “mistake.” How can he lead a war he doesn’t even believe in?
Also note the poll story in here: on the questions pertaining most closely to the voters’ choice in November – who voters agree with, who they trust as Commander-in-Chief, who they trust on the situation in Iraq, and who is tough enough for the job, President Bush came out ahead.
Last night, President Bush spoke from the heart, with clarity and conviction, about the remarkable challenges we have overcome in the last four years, and the road to peace and security in the next four. John Kerry failed to meet a critical test: to close the credibility gap he has created with his vacillation and contradiction on Iraq.
By embracing an anti-war position, Kerry now embodies the ultimate contradiction and raises a new and troubling question about his ability to protect us in the war on terror: How can he win a war he doesn't even believe in? Last night, he said the war in Iraq was a "mistake" -- but that the troops in Iraq are not dying for a "mistake." He called his vote against the $87 billion a "protest." He sends mixed signals to our allies -- and our troops -- by calling the war "a diversion" and "the wrong war at the wrong time." You can't be anti-war and a wartime leader at the same time.
In the Los Angeles Times, Ron Brownstein says the race offers a clear choice, and the President offered a clear vision:
President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry increased the odds that the voters' verdict on the war in Iraq will decide the November election, as they deepened their disagreement over the conflict during a sharp but civil debate Thursday night. ...
Continuing the tougher tone that he had unveiled in recent weeks, Kerry described the war as a "colossal error of judgment" that had weakened American security ...
Bush was often at his best in the encounter when he was most visionary. Many of his most effective moments came when he echoed his argument from his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last month and portrayed the war in Iraq as a crucial first step in a generation-long effort to reduce the threat of terrorism by encouraging the spread of democracy in the Middle East.
"We have a duty to defeat this enemy," Bush said. "The best way to defeat them is to never waver, to be strong, to use every asset at our disposal, to constantly stay on the offensive and, at the same time, spread liberty."
The Washington Post also says that the debate highlighted the sharp contrast on the war on terror -- between pressing forward or changing course under pressure:
It was no surprise that Iraq dominated the first debate between President Bush and Democratic challenger John F. Kerry on Thursday night, but rarely have the differences between the two men -- and the choices for the country -- been stated so clearly and with such passion. ...
This was a debate shorn of gimmicks, gaffes, canned one-liners, gotcha moments or even many light-hearted asides. It was as serious as the times in which this campaign is being waged. Bush and Kerry gave as good as they got and laid out for the country a choice between Bush's determination to stay on the course he has been following in Iraq or what Kerry said would be a genuine change in the direction of policy there.
The New York Times covered the debate like this, noting Kerry's emphasis on withdrawing from Iraq:
Senator John Kerry argued last night that President Bush had made a "colossal error of judgment'' in invading Iraq, while Mr. Bush belittled Mr. Kerry as a weak leader who would embolden the United States' foes, as the two men offered starkly different views of the war that has dominated this campaign. ...
Mr. Kerry, while stopping short of making a promise, said that it might be possible to begin bringing troops home under his leadership in six months. ...
"I've made some tough decisions," Mr. Bush said in a refrain he repeated throughout the evening. "But people know where I stand. People out there listening know what I believe, and that's how best it is to keep the peace."
Boston Globe columnist H.D.S. Greenway supports Kerry on most issues, but says that the Senator didn't make the sale last night:
I believe Senator Kerry's position on all the issues -- Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and the Sudan -- were superior to President Bush's, but my guess is that Bush came across as the strong leader he meant to project, and that Kerry did not manage to seriously dent his armor.
A Gallup poll immediately following the debate shows some strong points for both candidates -- and the underlying dynamics of the race remain the same. Americans still trust President Bush as commander-in-chief and to handle the situation in Iraq by solid margins. More Americans agreed with the points President Bush made, and by 17 points, said President Bush is tough enough for the job.
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) takes note of the campaign's state-of-the-art response operation:
The Bush campaign, meanwhile, took a more high-tech approach, urging conservative bloggers to incorporate some simple Web coding that placed a live "debate feed" on their Web sites. During the debate, the campaign used the feed to instantly rebut Sen. Kerry's statements. More than 5,000 Web sites subscribed to the feed, says Brian Jones, a spokesman for the campaign. ...
In order to post instantaneous rebuttals to Mr. Kerry online, the Bush campaign developed an "attack matrix," a computer document showing past attacks made by the Democratic candidate against Mr. Bush's record and possible rebuttals, Mr. Jones said. More than two dozens campaign staffers, including three dedicated to the live blog feed, were working at the debate site in Miami and in campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., to choose responses to Sen. Kerry's statements. Campaign staffers also prepared links to video clips of Kerry speeches that could be used to contradict his positions in the debate.
Go to DebateFacts.com for full debate response, and log on Tuesday night to see live responses during the Vice Presidential debate.
Contains John Kerry's actual statements in his own voice covering both sides of major issues!
Turn your speakers up!
Just outstanding!!!
And we have this:
Thread here:
"Kerry's pre-emptive Global Test" CARTOON featuring Kerry's REAL Band of Bros...
I quit watching the debate because I knew that in the end I'd stress over his style. Now I get to enjoy the fruits of his substance and missed all the hand-wrining I myself would have done. Glad I didn't join the live thread. lol
Thanks for the ping Tonk!
Thanks for the ping Tonk! I was a little worried last night I'll admit - not because I thought Kerry was good but because I was afraid the sheep wouldn't see thru his BS. It looks like I was wrong -- seems like most folks thought Kerry had the debate won, but they know Bush is the man for the job. Thank GOD!! :o)
That was my impression as well. Kerry's senatorial MO is to 'sound good' in a very superficial way. He's a bloviator and he will, as we know, say ANYTHING, if it helps him politically. Kerry is not constrained to comments in the US interest, while Bush is. Bush may have overestimated the audience and their ability to see through Kerry's nonsense. He is on the inside and it was patently obvious to him why Kerry's stances were absurd. Not necessarily so to the audience, though...he could have done some more basic explaining.
This debate will continue to reverberate, and in Bush's favor, as Kerry's comments begin to sink in, and Bush and Rove develop a better rhetorical strategy against an opponent unrestricted by reality, consistency, or national interest.
BTT!!!!!!
bump
Last night, President Bush spoke with passion and clarity about the war on terror and the road ahead – and John Kerry’s credibility gap grew larger. He called the war a “mistake” but said that our troops in Iraq aren’t dying for a “mistake.” How can he lead a war he doesn’t even believe in?
I think Kerry was having a Viet Nam flash back.
Thanks, Julie!
I'd like for y'all to go back in your memories to the debates of Ronald Reagan.
Remember how he was a master with that old, dumb Colombo thing?
He'd kind of duck his head, smile, and say, "Wul, I don't know, but......"
Immediately, America said, "That's an ordinary American just like me who loves his country!"
George W. is also a master of that dumb Colombo personna.
And just like Reagan and Colombo, he catches his opponent exposed and blows them away!
You're welcome!
You reign, King of Smartassism!
Ewww...So that's what he looked like before complete dental reconstruction.
Uncle Tonkin..... is the "Global Test" something that I'm going to have to learn when I go to school? It sounds like Scary Kerry wants everyone's approval before he goes after the bad boys so he'll have someone else to blame for his minute-by-minute screw ups!!
God bless our President! What a shinning star he is!
*TT*, Beth & Logan
Don't worry about no stikin Global Test!
4 more years!
*HUG*
Uncle Tonkin
Frapster... I quit watching the debate for the same reason. **And, I just couldn't take sKerry.** Hubby watched the entire thing w/o coming unhinged. He saw straight through the "style" and right into the "substance." <--- of BOTH candidates. By the time I got to the LIVE thread, it was too long. After reading, I am glad I didn't trudge through the whole thing.
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