|
My stillettos are still in the closet!
In the first presidential debate, I wanted to see if Senator Kerry would hold his own against Mr. Bush on the topic that is purported to be the president's strength: security. What I saw was a challenger who was vastly more confident, steadfast, articulate, convincing and resolute than the incumbent who has staked his presidency on his leadership in the war on terror.
Kerry soundly and coherently criticized the mistakes that Bush has made in taking the war on terror to Iraq, while clearly outlining his own vision for getting our country out of the mess that Bush has created. Bush stuck to his sound bites which often sounded out of context or irrelevant to the topic being discussed. Where Kerry was calm and assured, Bush was petulant, angry and even confused. In fact, his performance was at times embarrassing. An entire roomful of people burst into laughter when Bush pointed out that Kerry had neglected to mention Poland when making the point that Bush's coalition of the willing has few real participants. Bush appeared distinctly unpresidential when describing this coalition as a "group of folks", confusing Osama bin Laden with Saddam Hussein, or saying "it's hard work to try to love her as best as I can" when describing his encounter with a war widow. Bush was frankly incoherent and seemed ill-informed about the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. Senator Kerry dominated the debate from start to finish. Bush looked uncomfortable, exhibiting a number of odd mannerisms from bobbing his head to chewing his lip to sighing with exasperation. He could barely contain his anger and arrogant disdain at being forced to defend his record. In stark contrast, Kerry was succinct and forceful, exuding confidence and appearing engaged and respectful. I fully expect the press to overlook Bush’s abysmal performance, to fail to nitpick his annoying gestures and to downplay Kerry’s obvious commanding presence. But if I were George Bush, I would be very worried today. He was just stripped of his one advantage.
|