the first presidential debate of 2004

The first Presidential Debate of 2004 took place this past Thursday September 30. For Mr.Kerry, it was a chance to show the country his strength, his conviction, and his all around "presidentialness". He took advantage of this opportunity by doing just that. Standing up straight, in his red "power" tie, Senator John Kerry was the aggressor in this bout. There were no "knock out punch" one liners in this debate, a welcome change from the 24 hours, 30 second sound bite media which we are surrounded by. John Kerry stood strong, unwaivering in his attack on the president. Leaving an ill equipped president to ask for additional time on several occasions and, unlike his opponent, the president repeated and babbled through the blinking red light afixed to his podium (bending what were predominantly his rules).

After Kerry made reference to former president bush saying, "You know the president's father did not go into Iraq into Baghdad beyond Basra. And the reason he didn't is he said, he wrote in his book because there was no viable exit strategy. And he said our troops would be occupiers in a bitterly hostile land. That's exactly where we find ourselves today. There's a sense of American occupation." the president asked for additional time and then met the camera with a dazed 3-4 second
pause.

While the president was repeatedly telling the country how being the leader of the free world was "hard work". Senator Kerry spoke to the rising soldier deaths as well as the rising opium production in Afghanistan and the "hunt" for bin Laden. "The center is Afghanistan where, incidentally, there were more Americans killed last year than the year before, where the opium production is 75 percent of the world's opium production, where 40 to 60 percent of the economy of Afghanistan is based on opium, where the elections have been postponed three times. "

"The president relied on Afghan warlords that he outsourced that job to. That's wrong."

Kerry responded to the president's repeated mantra of "mixed messages" with the "mixed messages" the incumbent has sent to our country.

"what kind of mixed message does it send when you've got $500 million going over to Iraq to put police officers in the streets of Iraq and the president is cutting the cops program in America? What kind of message does it send to be sending money to open firehouses in Iraq but we're shutting firehouses, who are the first responders here in America?"

Kerry spoke to the disconnect between Iraq and al Qaeda's attacks on New York and D.C.

"smart means not diverting your attention from the real war on terror in Afghanistan against Osama bin Laden and taking it off to Iraq where the 9/11 commission confirms there was no connection to 9/11 itself and Saddam Hussein. And where the reason for going to war was weapons of mass destruction, not the removal of Saddam Hussein. This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment."

To the "lead up" to the War in Iraq:
"The president said he would exhaust the remedies of the United Nations and go through that full process. He didn't. He cut it off, sort or arbitrarily. And we know that there were further diplomatic efforts under way. They just decided the time for diplomacy is over and rushed to war without planning for what happens afterwards.

And to the priorities that this president has set with respect to his budget:
"We didn't need that tax cut. America needed to be safe."

And as far as the statements made in the past Senator Kerry had this to say:

Mr. Kerry "Well, you know when I talked about the $87 billion I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?"

The president was frustrated and rattled and you could see it all over his face and in his body language. His image was that of an arrogant little man who feels he (and his office) are above questioning. Senator John Kerry finally took some of the fight we've all been calling for to the president, and all the repeated tag lines in the rove arsenal couldn't sway him.

"It's comin' y'all" - PIC
peace.
dave

P.S. The Vice Presidential debate takes place on October 5. It should be interesting to see the young, energetic, go getter, pretty boy go up against the old, shadowy, out from an undisclosed area incumbent.

P.P.S. The next two presidential debates will take place (October 8 and October 13).

A full transcript of this first debate can be obtained at :
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/01/politics/campaign/01dtext.html?pagewanted=1

In agreement:
The Boston Globe: "Ladies and gentlemen, you wake today to a whole new presidential race. Last night, John Kerry won as clear a debate victory as we've seen since Ronald Reagan outdueled Jimmy Carter in 1980, The Democratic challenger seemed more serious and substantive, more knowledgeable and confident, than the man who holds the job."

"Last night, I'm afraid, the president looked like a man who showed up for a nine-minute debate and was terrified to find it was a 90-minute debate," said Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record), D-Vt. "After nine minutes
he'd run out of Carl Rove's one-liners."

Joe Scarborough: "as far as the debate goes, I don't see how anybody could look at this debate and not score this a very clear win, on points, for John Kerry." (MSNBC)

Excellent voter information site:
www.nationalvoice.org

In other news:
British Guantanamo Detainee Alleges Abuse from Jail
http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/430408|top|10-01-2004::08:31|reuters.html

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment Fails in House
http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/430261|top|09-30-2004::19:28|reuters.html

House Ethics Committee Admonishes DeLay
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041002/ap_on_go_co/delay_ethics_11