Kerry Decisively Wins Round Three
Bush can run but he can't hide from the failure of his economic policies and his illegal war and bloody occupation of
Iraq.
Kerry offered substance and well thought out answers last night and Bush offered sound bites and liberal fear mongering
.
Kerry was humble, believeable and gracious ~ all qualities that Bush sadly lacks.
Never was it more obvious that George W Bush is not big enough or mature enough to be the leader of the world's
greatest superpower.
He is a loose cannon in a complex world that desperately needs skilled diplomacy ~ not small minded obstinacy.
Here’s the "insta-poll" results so far: ( salon.com ) CBS Poll: Kerry: 39 percent, Bush 25 percent
ABC Poll: Kerry wins by 1 percent
CNN's focus group: Kerry 10, Bush 7
David Talbot , Salon, asks the decisive question to any still undecided voters in comparing these two candidates ;
Still undecided?
OK, America, now that you've watched the last presidential debate, the choice should be perfectly clear -- even for you
dazed undecideds still out there. On one side, we have a candidate who thinks we should have targeted Osama more than
Saddam; we should allow cheaper prescription drugs to be imported from Canada; we should give women the right to choose
and would not appoint any justice to the Supreme Court who feels differently; we should outlaw assault rifles; we should
raise the minimum wage; we should uphold affirmative action; we should offer all Americans the same health coverage
enjoyed by their elected leaders. And the other candidate? Well, he doesn't believe in any of that. But he isa man of
deep faith. Oh, and he loves his wife and kids a whole lot .
It's sad but true ~ Bush is an embarassment as a credible President , he's way over his head pursuant to the
responsibilites and accountability for his position and is an intellectual lightweight who covers up his short comings
with bravado and innuendo .
Example: ( courtesy of Salon )
Sometimes fact-checking is a murky business, with the truth lying in the gray area between two candidates' positions.
Whether Bush said he wasn't concerned about Osama Bin Laden isn't one of those situations, however.
From the debate transcript:
KERRY: Six months after he said Osama bin Laden must be caught dead or alive, this president was asked, "Where is Osama
bin Laden?" He said, "I don't know. I don't really think about him very much. I'm not that concerned."
BUSH: Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those
exaggerations.
From the transcript of a March 2002 White House press briefing:
Q: But don't you believe that the threat that bin Laden posed won't truly be eliminated until he is found either dead
or alive?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any
command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned
about him. I know he is on the run.
This election is finally becoming what it always should have been ~ a REFERENDUM on George W Bush's performance as
President and Commander-in Chief ~ and it is obvious that he has failed on both counts.
Kerry not only decisively beat him on major points but Kerry did something that JFK skillfully and effectively did in
his last debate with Nixon in 1960.
Kerry directly spoke to the camera , the nation and the American people ~ and WE heard him.
It's time for a change .
Allen L Roland
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Allen Roland is a practicing psychotherapist who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and
website www.allenroland.com