Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Some Thoughts on the Final Debate
Both men did well tonight. I was troubled early when it appeared Kerry was humorless and Bush was smirky. I am distracted by Kerry's hand gestures. They don't seem to be appropriate to the words. It appeared to me early in the debate that Bush was either nervous or not presidential. I think Bush after about a half hour started scoring points. I don't think we can use iris scans or fingerprints as Kerry suggested to regulate the flow of illegal aliens across our borders. They are poor people and probably won't even register. We don't even know where all the people holding visas are! Kerry said that some have a goal of "playing for the American Dream". That didn't make sense to me. Bush seems weak on healthcare, but he really came on when he said "let me talk to the American workers" and did great talking about getting more money into their pockets. Kerry is a "wonk" and Bush is the guy next door. I would like to have a Bar B Que with the guy next door or talk about the Beavers and Ducks, share a non-alcoholic beer. I was finally glad to hear Bush say "in 1990 we assembled a large coalition, to repel Iraq from Kuwait, sanctioned by the UN and Kerry voted against it". There is no war that Kerry would approve. I was touched by the words of Bush about his wife and daughter. Kerry finally laughed at himself, but his wife doesn't share top billing with his Mom. I think that is a metaphor for his foreign policy.
