Horrible
There, I'll be the one to say it. I thought the President was horrible last night.
Yes, he got across a few points, and hammered them home (ad nauseum). No, he didn't say anything that will come back to haunt him, and no, John Kerry did not really get off any memorable lines that will haunt the President later either.
But Bush should have wiped the floor with him. He had so much on his side. So many facts and arguments about his record and his opponents. But he offered next to nothing to the American people. Nearly everything he said echoed exactly what he's said in 30-second sound bites for months. This was the opportunity to explain what we're doing in detail, and why Kerry's 30-second sound bites are off the mark. Instead, Bush simply cycled through 30-second clips again and again.
Unfortunately for my wife, I like to talk to the TV during these things. At one point I was on the floor mumbling "no, no, no..." So after an hour of listening to me, my wife (a solid Bush supporter) asked, "Honey, did you actually think he'd be... good?" I had to reply, "No, but I thought he'd be better."
No, I didn't hope that he'd magically become a polished speaker. I just hoped that in bumbling through he'd make some arguments that had depth to them. This was the opportunity to fully explain our foreign policy and war on terror. There are hundreds of arguments out there that have been made by conservatives, but Bush looked like he was running out of material.
Not only did he not defend his own record well, he did not attack Kerry effectively at all. Kerry made his "I've had one position on Iraq" statement, and to challenge that Bush used two arguments: "He changes positions!" and, once, "He voted for the $87 billion before he voted against it."
I'd expect that level of criticism in a barber shop, and from someone who doesn't follow politics very closely, but not in a Presidential debate, from the President of the United States.
I simply cannot believe that after months of preparation, this was the result.
If I have time later, I'll try to catalog some of the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" arguments that never came close to passing through the President's lips.
Don't get me wrong. I love the President. He's the right man for the job and has been doing a great job. But he has a hell of a time letting anyone know that's the case.
Yes, he got across a few points, and hammered them home (ad nauseum). No, he didn't say anything that will come back to haunt him, and no, John Kerry did not really get off any memorable lines that will haunt the President later either.
But Bush should have wiped the floor with him. He had so much on his side. So many facts and arguments about his record and his opponents. But he offered next to nothing to the American people. Nearly everything he said echoed exactly what he's said in 30-second sound bites for months. This was the opportunity to explain what we're doing in detail, and why Kerry's 30-second sound bites are off the mark. Instead, Bush simply cycled through 30-second clips again and again.
Unfortunately for my wife, I like to talk to the TV during these things. At one point I was on the floor mumbling "no, no, no..." So after an hour of listening to me, my wife (a solid Bush supporter) asked, "Honey, did you actually think he'd be... good?" I had to reply, "No, but I thought he'd be better."
No, I didn't hope that he'd magically become a polished speaker. I just hoped that in bumbling through he'd make some arguments that had depth to them. This was the opportunity to fully explain our foreign policy and war on terror. There are hundreds of arguments out there that have been made by conservatives, but Bush looked like he was running out of material.
Not only did he not defend his own record well, he did not attack Kerry effectively at all. Kerry made his "I've had one position on Iraq" statement, and to challenge that Bush used two arguments: "He changes positions!" and, once, "He voted for the $87 billion before he voted against it."
I'd expect that level of criticism in a barber shop, and from someone who doesn't follow politics very closely, but not in a Presidential debate, from the President of the United States.
I simply cannot believe that after months of preparation, this was the result.
If I have time later, I'll try to catalog some of the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" arguments that never came close to passing through the President's lips.
Don't get me wrong. I love the President. He's the right man for the job and has been doing a great job. But he has a hell of a time letting anyone know that's the case.
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