Posted on 10/17/2004 12:35:26 AM PDT by billorites
IF YOU WATCHED the third and final Presidential debate Wednesday night without a Washington think tank scholar’s command of domestic policies and their pricetags — in other words, like a normal, feeling person — it would be difficult not to acknowledge that President Bush won. (Finally, after losing the first and tying in the second, according to the chattering class.) And he won in exactly the way one would expect him to beat Sen. John Kerry: By out-authenticating him.
No one could expect Bush to out-maneuver Kerry, the hybrid Boston Brahmin and master of Washington double-speak. Bush has enough trouble with single-speak, which makes those of us rooting for him cringe. But where Bush decisively outflanked Kerry was in the area of character, which for most Americans counts a lot more than lingual fluidity.
Kerry’s hollow character was never more evident Wednesday night than when he named Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter, Mary, and referred to her as a “lesbian” when answering the question of whether homosexuals have a choice in their orientation.
True, Ms. Cheney is campaigning for her father and has made no effort to conceal her sexual orientation. But Kerry’s awkward insertion of her name in his answer came across as a clear attempt to remind anyone watching that the Cheneys have a gay daughter, perhaps to generate distaste and pander to the worst in people.
Kerry himself has no problem with homosexuality, but his premeditated delivery suggested he hopes enough Americans do have a problem, and will be turned off from the Bush-Cheney ticket. Or, if viewers are sympathetic to homosexuality, that they will think the Bush-Cheney ticket is hypocritical for opposing gay marriage.
The mention of her was no spur-of-the-moment decision by Kerry. John Edwards had tested the use of Mary Cheney as a weapon in his debate against the Vice President. This was a predetermined, carefully calculated stunt at the expense of Mary Cheney’s personal life, and it reflected poorly on the character of both Kerry and Edwards.
Kerry’s grinding calculations reared up again when he answered the question about religion in his life. He trotted out his credentials as a former altar boy (for the second time in the debates) to remind voters he is Catholic (since he is modeling himself after John F. Kennedy).
But to neutralize his traditional faith and the disgust it must cause his hard-left supporters, he quickly brought up the “Native American blessing” he recently received, pandering to the politically correct and reminding viewers that though he is Catholic, he disposes of those fallible “articles of faith” when making policy. Which is how he was able to vote against a ban on partial birth abortion, apparently.
Bush, on the other hand, spoke with humility but beamed with genuineness when he answered the question about faith. He didn’t get into specifics and pull out his merit badges, as Kerry did, but he talked about the value of prayer in his life in a way to which most Americans can easily relate.
Even Bob Schieffer’s softball question about the influence of “strong women” on the candidates’ lives produced telling insight into the candidates’ character. Kerry responded with a carefully calibrated joke about “marrying up” in an attempt to head off any snickering about his second wife’s vast personal fortune. Bush, on the other hand, followed up his joke about Laura’s criticism of his first debate performance with a touching recollection about their love at first sight, which seemed to come straight from the heart.
Considering the kinds of decisions Presidents must make — for example, whether to shoot down a jet full of civilians after it has been hijacked for use as a missile, or whether to attack a hostile regime before the United Nations collects responses from the “global test” — it should be clear what attributes are necessary for the job.
Character and authenticity — a willingness to do or say the right thing because it comes from the heart, rather than the hired focus group — are much more valuable assets in a President than glib chatter and an elegant appearance. In Wednesday night’s debate, Bush was his true self and re-qualified himself for the job. (Finally.)
Bernadette Malone is the former editorial page editor for The Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News.
No, he did not requalify himself for the job--
YOU JUST FINALLY REALIZED HE IS THE BEST QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB.
Hell... I'm a foreigner in this great country. And Bush is the BEST person to lead this country. Anybody who votes for Kerry must be out of his/her mind. If Bush doens't win, then I will be mighty upset.
The very idea of America, that it is a grand experiment where personal freedom alone reigns, is threatened to its core by this election.
Bush is fighting for our very survival against a ruthless enemy that vows our destruction.
Kerry is the worst candidate for president in the history of America.
If you believe in America, you must vote AGAINST Kerry.
If you believe in America, you must vote FOR Bush.
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