“The audience will remain absolutely silent for ninety minutes.” We’ll see about that.
Bush moved faster across the stage to make it seem as if he’s welcoming Kerry. So first cred for Bush.
9:06: Kerry answered the question directly and with animation, but looks directly at the moderator. Bush looks to Lehrer but spends most of his time looking directly into camera. His answer was a non-answer, but he looked good doing it. Bush then dodges the follow up question.
9:10: Bush thumps his podium repeatedly. New drinking game: Every time a podium is thumped, toss back a shot. Kerry has yet to look into the dámņëd camera. Ah! Okay, just for a second there. Bush looks bored. Bush continues to refer to “my opponent.”
9:18 Bush attempts to defend the multi-pronged battle against terrorism, but tends to wander and mixes up names (although points for getting that one Arab guy.) More podium thumping. Bush is now attempting to paint Kerry as flipflopping. Kerry could respond to it, but doesn’t really.
9:20 Kerry seems credible on how he would improve on homeland secruity. Bush tosses back credentials in terms of the money that he’s spent. However he’s left Kerry an opening in talking about how he established the Dept of Homeland Security…which was a Clinton idea and which Bush refused at first to establish. But Kerry missed the opening. Now Kerry is thumping the podium. Bush finished strong.
9:27 Kerry continues to use grass-root examples to illustrate points. Oooo…Kerry cites Bush Sr. I was wondering if he was going to do that. Now Bush is in an interesting situation. Does he stand there and diss his dad? Unfortunately Kerry isn’t actually responding to the original question about when and how to bring the troops home. Again Bush is trying to paint Kerry as being unsupportive. Kerry gets a good point about which is worse in terms of making mistakes, but he should have stopped talking right after that.
9:31: Kerry keeps speaking of pulling allies together, but doesn’t make entirely clear how he’s going to accomplish that other than that he’s different. Overall, his comments remain more cogent. Kerry is taking notes. Wonder what he’s going to say. Bush is starting to sound whiney. His voice is coming across as defensive. Bush keeps repeating the same phrases, claiming that for Kerry to disagree with what’s going on in Iraq is somehow “denigrating.”
9:35 Wait, what? Bush is saying that the reason we’re having all these problems in Iraq is because we did too GOOD a job with the invasion? What we’re dealing with is the result of efficiency? Uhm…okay. Kerry is now fighting back on the “denigrating” thing, but he’s leaving himself open because he said he would not have done everything the same…except he’s on record on saying he would have.
9:40 Kerry should avoid phrases like “I believe” and “I will try.” It makes him sound indecisive.
9:44 “Was it worth it.” This is the question that Kerry booted the other day with Diane Sawyer. Bush is now going for the human interest angle, and doing a good job. Kerry once again doesn’t address the notion of “was it worth it.” What the heck is his problem with answering this squarely? Say “Hëll no, it wasn’t worth it.” Create a clear demarcation between him and Bush. I’m also starting to get pìššëd øff that Lehrer that he is letting Bush steamroll into rebuttals. Especially since Bush is merely reiterating what he said before. Kerry’s thirty second rebuttal is stronger than Bush’s.
9:53 Goddammit, Lehrer, will you rein in Bush. He keeps jumping in at will.
9:54 “The enemy attacked us.” But not Iraq! This is typical of the blurring Bush has done that convinced 3/4 of this country that Saddam attacked on 9/11. “A President has to be willing to use force.” That’s not the problem. The problem is that by all accounts he was eager to use force.
9:56 Yes! Yes! Kerry hit the same line I did. Bush left a wide opening and this time Kerry grabbed it. Very solid response. And yet again Bush jumps in to have the last word. And Kerry makes an incredibly sound point in response. That round to Kerry.
10:00 “I’m not sure what he means by passes the global test?” Kerry made it pretty clear, so I don’t know what Bush doesn’t get. Bush is now defending the notion of not joining the global criminal court. Huh? Ðámņ, I wish Kerry would push for a 30 second response.
10:03 Bush seems fatigued and wandering. He’s stopped looking into camera and instead at Lehrer. Lehrer is now starting to take a firmer hand, taking the time to try and delineate the difference between Bush and Kerry in regards to Korea.
10:10 The audience is remaining quiet. Wow. For the first time, Bush refers to him as “Senator Kerry” in the question about character. Bush is walking a real tight rope on this one. I hope they stop trying to make jokes; the silence is getting embarrassing. Bush is once again playing the flip flop card. Now Kerry can either be aggressive and attack Bush, or he can be defensive to answer the uncertainty issue.
10:13 “Certainty sometimes can get you in trouble.” Wonder how that will play in Peoria. Is Bush insinuating that Kerry has been changing his “core values?”
10:17 Kerry is so confident he can say “nuclear” that he says “nuclear proliferation” twice in a row. Bush tries to say it and misses. Again Lehrer is clarifying matters, which is good.
10:24 A discussion on Russia is deteriorating into a reiteration of Korea and yet more about Saddam. It’s like the whole thing has gone off the rails.
10:26 Kerry is now looking directly into camera for his final comments. He’s got to do more of that in the next two. Bush gets in some last minute podium thumping. The “valley of peace” line isn’t bad. Nice imagery.
Be sure to tune in to “The Daily Show” and their live coverage. And boy, I can’t wait for the VP debate.
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