Posted on 10/14/2004 7:51:50 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
NEW YORK In assessing the final presidential debate Wednesday night, newspaper editorials gave less space to the performance of John Kerry and George W. Bush than to the overall usefulness of the three one-on-one matches. To the surprise of many editorial writers, they found the triple feature to be a truly valuable tool for voters, with most saying they offered a clear view of where each candidate stands.
The Chicago Tribune, for example, asked readers to "cherish" the debates. "Like the first two debates," it said, "Wednesday night's rounder in Arizona showcased rugged but revealing politicking between two men who don't much like each other. Listening to Kerry parse tax policy is to know who has the bigger brain. To listen to Bush talk about faith and family is to know who has the bigger heart."
The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., raved: "Rarely is reality television as good as the three installments of the presidential debates that concluded last night. President Bush and Sen. John Kerry's consistently intelligent ideological tug of war was spiked by passionate arguments and testy exchanges. The 4 1/2 hours spread out over three nights was every bit as engaging as anything else on television."
USA Today's editorial page focused less on who may have won and more on the debates' success in highlighting each man's differences: "Perhaps more significant than their huge gulf on issues, these are two very different men. Different in style. Different in approach and temperament. Different in core beliefs. How viewers perceived those differences may well decide the election."
The New York Times, which has criticized Bush when commenting on the previous debates, offered criticism and kudos to both candidates while adding that "it's hard to believe that anyone who watched with attention didn't come away with a good handle on who John Kerry and George Bush are, what they believe, and how they would approach running the country."
The Los Angeles Times, however, slammed Bush's efforts, and offered Kerry a pat on the back. "Stitched together, these three extraordinary exchanges amounted to a powerful indictment of the president's leadership," the paper said. "Overall, Bush doesn't have a strong hand, and both his opponent and his advisors know it. It should be clear by now that Kerry is not for some Stalinist government healthcare system, that he won't give Paris a veto over U.S. foreign policy and that he doesn't think terrorism is merely a nuisance. He was thoughtful and firm in all three debates, despite his enduring stiffness."
Readers of The Boston Globe got a similar assessment: "Bush seemed more comfortable in his own skin. But the facts are not a draw: There are more Americans living in poverty today; there is a massive loss of jobs; there are growing numbers of Americans without health insurance. All while the richest one percent of Americans received extravagant tax cuts. These issue are at the heart of Kerry's critique of the Bush administration's economic policies, and he effectively drove home his differences last night."
The Las Vegas Journal-Review, on the other hand, called it for Bush. "While it is disappointing that the Bush administration has not better controlled congressional spending, the positions Sen. Kerry espoused on health care and education would necessitate millions in new taxes.," the editorial stated. Denver's Rocky Mountain News editorialized that "for the second time in as many weeks, President Bush turned in a strong performance."
At the San Francisco Chronicle, another cheer for the debate process came forward, along with equal praise for both candidates, including a rare Chronicle compliment for the president. "The finale did not make for riveting television, but it was highly illuminating. The third presidential debate showed Americans that there are clear differences in the way President Bush and Sen. John Kerry approach the world."
The paper added: "Bush had his best performance of the three debates last night. Kerry was again modulated and steady."
Other newspapers weighed in, too.
The Sacramento Bee: "No one can come away from this debate and believe there are no differences between the candidates. ... These debates gave us a true picture of these men and what they stand for. "
The San Diego Union-Tribune: "Despite the limitations of the [debate] formats, voters who have stayed tuned have learned a great deal about the candidates and the genuine contrasts between them."
Detroit Free Press: "In what was clearly the most vigorous and substantive debate of the presidential campaign, both President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry sold themselves very well Wednesday night on the issues that most touch voters' daily lives."
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