Obligatory Debate Commentary (Debate 1)

Well, since no one reads this anyway, I thought I'd float my two cents into the ether. Simply, I think Bush lost the debate. I say that and not "Kerry won" because I'm not sure that Kerry really convinced anyone. What happened at this debate is what has been happening throughout the campaign season - even when Bush loses support, Kerry does not gain it. I personally think that if this had been a true debate, Kerry could have pushed Bush into losing his temper - something that rarely shows up in Bush's carefully controlled public appearances. I'm not claiming that Bush has a short temper or anything. I just get the impression that he doesn't take criticism well. There was a point at which Kerry said "The test is, are you doing everything possible to make America safe?". Bush sounded personally offended by this statement, like Kerry had just accused him of not trying hard enough to defend America. "Of course we're doing everything we can to protect America. I wake up every day thinking about how best to protect America. That's my job." Yes, Mr. President. I'm sure you do. But that doesn't mean the things you think up will work. (quotes from Washington Post transcript)