Bush's Strategy Is Clear - Debate and Post Debate

10/1/04

[Williams]

All this mystery about why President Bush didn't zing Kerry back more last night. President Bush has a consistent approach to campaigning as well as to leading this country. Bush prepares his message and he does not go beyond it. He does not improvise. he does not get provoked into saying more than he has planned.

It may be frustrating at first, it may be repetitive, but it is the way Bush has always done it. And for good reason. Had the President added to his message in the heat of the moment, Kerry would have zinged back on the spot. And there's always the chance the improv by Bush would turn out to be a mistake.

Instead, I have heard zero criticism of the President's substance last night. There was some half hearted comment by Edwards about the number of Iraqis trained, and that was it.

Contrast the President's consistency with Kerry's many inconsistent, incorrect, irresponsible, and unpopular statements.

Nuclear fuel for Iran? The war is a mistake and not a mistake? Global test. The war was for the "Oil Ministry." NYC Subways were shut down. Turn Iraq over to the U.N. Cold war policy was preemption?

The result is that Kerry was all over the place, and Bush is picking up the pieces today - of Kerry.

[Bahbah]

That doggone poker player does it again. :)

[kingattax]

i really hope that people keep this in mind.....we want a win

in an election, NOT a debate. GW did just fine..relax and

let's work hard for Nov 2 .

[seppel]

ok, this has been doing the rounds for a while now. but i agree it's an interesting take. do you have any follow up?

[DTogo]

I would like to see Bush and Cheney hit the political Talk Shows, big time and non-stop. His message is consistant and he talks well informally. This would challenge Kerry to do the same (will Kerry show up on O'Reilly?), but he'd have to answer all the flip-flips and, as pointed out here, all his gaffes during Debate #1.

[TheLion]

You nailed it. Bush is steady and doesn't make glaring mistakes. Everyone wants zingers to come flying out when Kerry lies, but that is just not Bush's style.

We are thus left with only Kerry's remarks to pick apart.

[MTOrlando]

Bush was also not given the questions before hand. skerry was so he had someone write a speech for him and he gave his speech.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who noticed that. Kerry didn't need any time to think and respond to the questions - it sounded like he was firing off canned answers.

I've been checking Drudge all day waiting for this story to start "developing..."

[AMDG&BVMH]

"I am sure sKerry had more canned statements he could have used, but Bush kept them at a minimum by staying on message. "

you got that right -- Kerry had rehearsed zingers and Bush did not fall into the 'Rat trap (as I have been calling it)

[jimthewiz]

I mean, this is the president who said "There were weapons of mass destruction," said "Mission accomplished," said we could fight the war on the cheap -- none of which were true. (Sen. John Kerry, First Presidential Debate, Miami, FL, 9/30/04) And now we see beheadings. And we got weapons of mass destruction crossing the border every single day, and they're blowing people up. (Sen. John Kerry, First Presidential Debate, Miami, FL, 9/30/04)

[shield]

Don't understand what you're asking me. You mean about skerry getting the questions before hand? If that's the question....do a search there's lots that has been posted talking about this very thing.

skerry maybe smart and quick...however, you could tell in the debate he already had his answer and just how to attack Bush. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see it. Besides the questions asked always kept Bush on the defensive....never skerry. However, skerry didn't keep to his script always and that was also very obvious.

[shield]

There's lots today seeing the very same thing....it'll be interesting when we get to the bottom of this. Hopefully, it'll be before the next debate...by that time the liberal left will have been sooo hounded by all of us....they may just may not be so quick to give skerry the questions. Hey don't think Bush and his team did not know this was going to happen....They did!!!

[Otta B Sleepin]

This is what I've been saying all along. Kerry was trying to provoke the President and get him off the message, probing for anything that could be used against the President later.

Many have commented on the President's hesitations, saying "uh-" and "um-". I attribute this to his choosing his words very carefully and deliberately so as not to open any doors to the opposition. President Bush was wise to the Dem tactics and didn't step in the trap. If he had, Kerry and the MSM would have pounced on him and never let go.

As it is, they're stuck with the same broken-record talking points. Hopefully the swing voters are getting tired of it.

[hsrazorback1]

LIKE EVERYONE EXPECTED THE MSM TO FALL OVER AND SAY BUSH WON THE DEBATES?

Keep the faith, folks. All Pres. Bush has to do at the remaining two debates is stand flat-footed and do exactly what he did last nite. We have a winner on our hands, and it's unnecessary for him to take "rabbit-trails".

As long as Bush keeps the message simple and straightforward, Kerry's the one who's going to have to pull major magic tricks to win - the debates or the election.

[Steven W.]

There was some half hearted comment by Edwards about the number of Iraqis trained, and that was it.

More than that, the perky Katie actually pointed out to mini-him that the new Iraqi security forces have lost 850 troops during this same period, nearly the same amount as the US, not including all those who've been killed waiting in line to join.

[Steven W.]

the more Kerry / Edwards talk about beheadings the more Bush's ratings go up - they just don't get it!

[Jen]

Silly Dems...
Kerry thought he was going to a debate...
Only today does he understand he was taping RNC ads.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I love it.

[MTOrlando]

I'm sure they did know it would happen.

The way the Kerry camp was complaining about Bush "getting the questions before the interview" on O'reilly was a sure sign that they were planning something unethical for the debates.

[jcb8199]

Thank you for pointing this out. I was exceptionally frustrated that Bush didn't make more use of the ammo he has.

Kerry asked in 1973 "How do you ask a man to be the last to die for a mistake?" and now, if he is elected, he will be the President, asking the troops to fight and die for what he has termed a "mistake," and "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time." I wish Bush had pounded on Kerry's naivete, with the Senator acting as if Al Qaeda is THE ONLY terrorist organization in the world, and Osama Bin Laden is the MOST DANGEROUS man on the planet.

You settled my nerves with the post. Thank you!

[focusandclarity]

I say " Mr. President, Take the Gloves Off!" "Confront Kerry with the lies hes spewing as "truths", cut off his wiggle room, cut him in half if you have to!"

I imagine the President had that pained look everyone was gabbing about, because it "pains him" that the panting sheep-Democrat constituency and maybe some undecided voters are believing the lies and c'mons that Kerry spewed forth during the debates once he relaxed and got started.

I am almost finished reading Hayes "The Connection" ( A must read for every American) and as Kerry would have it, everyones been lying except for him and his handlers. The blatant facts lie, Clinton lied, Tenet lied, there was no connection between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein and Saddam Hussein and global terrorism.

As Bush said over and over last night, and as Hayes cites again and again via reporting the actions of former President Clinton, the UN weapon inspectors, other reports of other world wide intelligence agencies, and now even the September 11 Report, "There was a connection between Hussein and Al Qaeda," and it has had numerous and deadly consequences since 1997. How come Kerry and his people can't see it...he's seen the same intelligence the President saw.

The President was probably feeling quite pained...in his heart, because how does he convince the nonbelievers that they are being hoodwinked and sold wholesale down the river for a few pieces of silver. Bush would never say "I told you so," if Kerry wins and we are attacked again or were to lose the war because we decided we better take off leaving the job unfinished. But I know the President anguishes over it, you can see it on his face, you could see it on his face last night.

I felt last evening during the debates like I did when I was a kid watching TV and the bad guy was lying his way to win the goodies and I would yearn in frustration, trying to tell the other people in the TV that the good guy, the honest guy, the truthful guy deserved the credit, not the liar. Mr. President, take the gloves off and give Kerry hell next time. Do it for all the good guys...( our guys fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq!)

[nomad]

Have you seen any other posts with good talking points? I`m writing a letter to a number of editors about the Kerry screw ups, flip-flops, and down right B.S. Please feel free to freepmail or post any good ones. BTW, if you wish to join in the fun go here click for two good engines to find and send letters to your local editors.

[wagglebee]

Great post!

Bush's plan is to win the election and continue to rid the world of Islamofascist jihadists. I don't give a damn what these elitist pundits say about sKerry's "style" and debating skills.