Father Kerry vs. Boy GeorgeBy Steven Rosenfeld and Jan Frel, AlterNet.org
John Kerry came across as a mature candidate during the debate, while George Bush squirmed repeatedly at challenges to his record
The John Kerry that America saw on television Thursday night was not the John Kerry that the American people were told to expect by George W. Bush.
In Kerry, they saw a man who knew himself, knew his values, and knew how, when, and where he would lead the nation in war and peace. Kerry wasn't shy about stating his agenda, defending it, and saying why it was an example of more mature leadership than that of Bush. Most important of all, Kerry was adult enough to admit to the nation that he could change his mind when events called for it. And in doing so, he dominated the evening by setting the tone of the debate.
Bush, in contrast, presented himself as a resolute, unwavering leader, saying that was what the nation needed to win – in Iraq and the greater war on terrorism. He held to his belief that he could do no wrong by always putting American interests first. "We would all rue the day if Saddam were still in power... believe me," Bush said, repeatedly adding that he exhausted all political and diplomatic remedies before going to war.
But Kerry showed that it just wasn't so. By citing Bush's record, Kerry demonstrated that Bush had diverted the country from tracking down Osama bin Laden, the real target in the war on terrorism. In fact, he said Bush "outsourced" the job of capturing or killing bin Laden to Afghani warlords who, only a week before, had stood with bin Laden.
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Short Takes on the Debate
AlterNet.org
The first presidential debate lasted 90 minutes, and while it covered a range of topics, it also revealed some central points about the two candidates. Below are short takes from AlterNet's editors and invited commentators summing up what they took out of the debate.
Steve Cobble, Political Consultant A clear win for Kerry. Since I did debate prep for Dennis Kucinich during the Democratic primaries, I got to watch Kerry in dozens of debates. This was one of his better efforts. He kept it concise; separated Iraq from Bush's "war on terror" cover story; and even criticized W's "colossal misjudgments" in Iraq – not exactly "Bush lied, people died," but not "ditto" either.
Bush never hit his stride until his closing. It took him all of ten seconds to first mention 9/11. Mostly he repeated stock phrases over and over, never looked in command, and often seemed irritated. Bush ended with some of his usual religious rhetoric. One line was: "I believe in the transformational power of liberty." Well, so do I. Our right to vote, won with the blood of marchers and freedom fighters, can change America's direction. If we use it.
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