10/8 Debate thread
Sheryl, I'd like to thank Charlie for throwing me a puffball question via you. Thank you Charlie.
Bush is launching into his standard flip-flop speech. No earpiece needed here!
Audience member Robin: "Boxers or briefs?" But seriously, can't these people ask a tough question that can't be answered by one of Bush or Kerry's standard spiels?
Gaming the system is... part of the system. The gaming should have been taken into consideration; there were other solutions to it.
Kerry: "I would have used the power to go to war *wisely*"
Bush isn't laughing now; Kerry quoting Luger must have sunk in.
Who is American going to believe? Richard Luger and King Abdullah, or the supposed statements of Iraq's finance minister?
Kerry bringing up Tora Bora again... Stressing that he's consistent...
Nikki is calling Bush on some countries disliking America and our lack of diplomacy
Bush: "I've made some decisions that have caused people not to understand our values"
LW comments: you can make unpopular decisions but still be popular. But, when you're consistently unpopular maybe you're doing something wrong.
Bush is giving America a false choice.
Kerry is occasionally staring at Bush as he proceeds with his indictment...
Kerry brings up Bush promising to go into Iraq with enough troops and then breaking that promise...
However, he brings up Shinseki, which might have been disproved...
Now, Bush is blaming too few troops on the generals. LW notes: Bush is Commander in Chief...
Kerry: Bush didn't have enough troops to win the peace, which was his job and he didn't do it... "DID NOT CLOSE OFF THE BORDERS" unfortunately, he was talking about Iraq's borders...
Kerry brings up NoK going from one bomb to four and Bush not engaging them for two years...
Kerry: we have to join with Brits, French, etc. to get loose nukes...
Kerry brings up bunker busters again, not a good move
Kerry: "If we have to get tough with Iran, we will get tough."
Bush fully understands the threat from Iran, says he's already joined with the Brits and the French...
Now Bush going into the bilateral NoK talks. As before, people won't understand...
Bush is scoring some points here, Kerry has to come back strong...
Bush: "I hear there are rumors on the Internets [about a draft]... We will not have a draft" he says emphatically...
Bush: "[this way] we'll be more likely to keep people in the all-volunteer army" And, what if that doesn't work?
Kerry: those generals support me because they know our military is overextended, stop loss orders, etc.
Kerry: brings up how Reagan and Eisenhower ran the military and the country...
Bush rudely interrupts Charlie's attempt to ask the next question...
Bush goes into what about England, what about Italy?
Kerry discusses how the "coalition" is basically in name only
My god these questions are horribly weak. Please, they should have had an all-lawyer audience...
Kerry brings up homeland security, but only mentions 5% cargo and baggage checks, NOT BORDER CONTROL
Kerry brings up bridges, tunnels, chemical plants, how Bush said in the previous debate "how can we pay for all that homeland security?"
Bush: "If you lose in Iraq it's going to be a haven for terrorists" What of the absolutely brilliant "flypaper" plan?
discussion of prescription drugs from Canada, Kerry saying everything Bush just said was wrong: the president blocked it, we're talking about American drugs in American bottles with American labels. Kerry: Bush sides with the power companies, the oil companies, the pharm companies.
Bush: "If they're safe, they're coming" Isn't that what Kerry said Bush promised four years ago?
Bush: "National Journal named Kerry most liberal senator of all" Did Bush not mention that was for one year, or was it for all time?
Questioner: "in your time, you haven't vetoed one single spending bill"
Bush: "we have a deficit [blames it on depression]" what about your... spending?
So, why didn't you veto any of those spending bills, anyway?
Bush admits he wants to spend money, but give tax relief at the same time...
Oh man, that's a classic. Bush doesn't want to cut the deficits "for the troops"
Kerry, as before, talks about the biggest deficit turnaround in the history of the country
Kerry: "the president thinks it's more important to fight for that top 1% than for you"
Bush, once again, blaming things on other people
Let's just start calling him "George it's not my fault Bush"
Enron mention! Take a sip!
Kerry dared to look into the camera, complies...
ASK A FRIGGING SERIOUS QUESTION, PEOPLE! THIS ISN'T THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW!
Bush: "when he talks about being fiscally conservative, it's not credible"
What a foolish thing to say. Bush is demonstrably not fiscally conservative. How could Kerry do worse?
Bush is starting to look like Richard III...
Kerry yet again invokes supposed conservative John McCain...
Bush once again brings up Kerry's twenty years. Let's talk about your four years...
America will believe Kerry looking into the camera...
My god these questions are weak...
Bush discussing how he's the environmental president, expect him to be sharply undercut by Kerry...
The audience didn't get and/or enjoy Kerry's Redsox reference...
Kerry: "When it comes to the environment, this is one of the worst administration in history"
Kerry, as expected, is delivering it to Bush on the environment...
Bush demagoging Europe/freedom fries. What a [prat]...
Kerry: "The truth is, the Kyoto treaty was flawed. I was in Kyoto" Kerry brings up previous questioner Nikki. Good move.
Kerry, faced with yet another crappy question, discusses tax loophole for those who offshore...
Kerry needs to crank it up and indict Bush... talking about the borders and immigration would be a sure-fire way to do that... Bush would not have a response...
Kerry: "The WSJ says 96% of business aren't covered by my plan"
Bush: tries to make a funny, gets some laughs... [check into that timber company thing unless Kerry explains it]
Bush doesn't think the Patriot Acts I and II waters down American's rights... after all, he wouldn't support it if it did... blogger doubts that...
Kerry: brings up the constitution, implies that Bush is infringing on that document...
Kerry, asked about embryonic stem cells, commits a major stumble, but brings it back a bit by talking about American sweethearts Nancy Reagan, Michael J. Fox (Canuck?), and Chris Reeve...
Kerry: says those embryos would otherwise be destroyed or kept frozen, tries to spin it as "respecting life". Not going to sit well with very conservative Christians...
Bush shakes his head: "we have to be careful balancing the ethics and the science... to destroy life to save life is one of the ethical dilemmas we face..."
Kerry calls Bush a waffling flip-flopper on stem cells... shows his pseudo-scientific knowledge...
Bush, asked about who he'd appoint to Supremes, says "strict constructionist"
Kerry responds with Bush saying we need "more conservative judges"
Kerry should not have mentioned a woman's "right" to choose, now he's being questioned about abortion by blonde waif...
Kerry was an altar boy... [5 million Americans: papist!]
Kerry trying to encourage overseas abortions...
Yet again, Bush doesn't understand what America understood...
Bush scoring points in MidAm with his "culture of life"...
Kerry scores with his discussion of Bush's simplisme...
Bush is not going to admit to three mistakes...
Bush, paraphrased: I was right on everything that matters...
Bush continues to not admit his mistakes...
Kerry: the president made a huge mistake, a catastrophic mistake, not given inspectors enough time
Kerry: gut check time, Kerry is reaming Bush on his mistakes...
Kerry: ammo not guarded, Humvees not armored...
Bush brings up $87 billion supplemental, Kerry HAS TO COUNTERACT voted for it before voted against it, etc.
Kerry has strong, question-answering final statement...
Bush brings up corporate scandals...
Bush brings up 9/11, commission report. He doesn't bring up how he wanted to gut the House bill of 9/11 commission recommendations...
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Charlie Gibson and the audience should be sent to Siberia. What an incredibly horrible bunch of non-questions.
Slight advantage to Kerry. Bush scored some points, but Kerry somewhat indicted Bush for his failures. The religious-oriented questions will no doubt hurt Kerry. But, the incredible failures pointed out by Kerry will hurt Bush.
If it helps the BushBots, Bush wasn't incoherent like he was before.