Posted on 10/01/2004 3:55:40 AM PDT by Liz
On the day of the most im portant debate in their political lives, President Bush was in shirt sleeves consoling Florida hurricane victims, patting some on the back, hugging others and shaking hands with the tired relief workers. John Kerry had a manicure.
If ever there was a metaphor for the difference between these two candidates and their respective relationships with the American people, it was this. As The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes put Kerry's problem so succinctly last night, "This is a man who really needs to go bowling."
For all the back and forth between the two men, the debate did nothing to change that reality. Kerry's pontifical performance was light on specifics, heavy on criticism and plagued by the inconsistencies that have characterized his positions on Iraq for more than a year.
While there were few fireworks, I suspect swing voters did come away with a few perceptions. First, Bush knows what he's trying to accomplish. He believes deeply in the rightness of the war in Iraq and its centrality to the larger War on Terror. His message is the same message voters have heard since 9/11 — we will go on the offensive to fight terrorists wherever they are found to keep this nation safe.
On the other hand, voters saw Kerry continue to struggle to define his position on the war — justifying his latest position, which is to call the war a mistake, while promising to bring new allies on board to fight for what he terms a "grand diversion."
He failed totally to make a convincing case for either his strategic vision, what there is of it, or his so-called four-point tactical plan for winning in Iraq which bears a striking resemblance to what the Bush administration is already doing.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Did he say it was in an airport? I thought he said it was in a rope line. Still, not enough specifics to be able to nail him on another fabrication.
Huh? Please explain.
BINGO!
And that shade of mortuary blush Kerry wore didn't help either.
P ) Pronunciation Key (pfl)
intr.v. pif·fled, pif·fling, pif·fles
To talk or act feebly or futilely.
n.
Foolish or futile talk or ideas; nonsense
A piffle is kinda like a pshaa.
Some points of the debate.
Kerry- eliminate bunker buster bombs. Why? Because he is constantly against weaponry. Dangerous!
Kerry- Coalition in Iraq, but not in North Korea? What??
Kerry- lied about never using the word "lied"! Liar!
Kerry- "Global Test"? That's outsourcing!
I was amazed that Kerry failed to do something so simple as looking and speaking straight into the camera. He only did so at the final summing up.
pshaw ( P ) Pronunciation Key (shô)
interj.
Used to indicate impatience, irritation, disapproval, or disbelief.
I like it! ..;)
That word works,too...
Kerry kept saying I have a plan but failed to say specifically what it was. But when he did say what he would do, these were things Bush is already doing.
And I do think that Kerry got a hold of the questions beforehand. After all, it was a PBS moderator.
One big one more ...
Kerry- Lets give Iran the fuel and test them to see if we can trust them with it.
Isnt that like his - we will respond swiftly if we are attacked? Both a too little too late.
Bush was also unprepared for some of Kerry's BS.
On the 90 percent of the troop loses, it is untrue, Iraq has lost over 750 men in the fight against the terrorists, which brings us to abut 45-50 percent of the losses.
On the 200 billion dollars spent, that money has not een spent, only allocated, I think we have spent about 125 billion.
Kerry got the PBS Q's beforehand? Watta surprise (/sarc).
No they won't. At least not ads. It's not allowed by the debate rules to use the contents in political ads or comment on them until Jan 2005
Thanks for the ammunition - I'm sure I'll need it with the liberals at work today!
...I think Lehrer thought Kerry had not articulated his position correctly and it threw him for a loop when Kerry (who was preaching multi-national involvement) started criticizing mult-national involvement in N.Korea and talking about bilateral talks.......
As the man said......Kerry is consistantly inconsistant.
A glaring and extremely significant inconsistant hole in the Kerry stance. As allies, Asians don't matter, they are inferior to Euros.
Kindly restrict your gloom and doom to just one thread. I'm already tired of hearing your pessimism from the other thread I just left.
"The man who accused his brothers in arms of atrocity now saying we must "separate the war from the warrior".
The hypocrisy was glaring on that. At that point I hoped GWB would quote the part of Lurch's testimony where he called the Vietnam soldiers "monsters" and so forth.
I can't wait to see Lurch go down in flames. Arrogant, with absolutely no reason to be.
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