Presidential Debates

We have now seen two debates for this presidential election. It was clear that Mr. Bush was disturbed and simply unprepared. John Kerry beat Bush handily in the debate. The Edwards Cheney debate was a tad bit more interesting. Cheney seemed like a grumpy old man that's listening to his spoiled younger brother tell him what to do. However, Cheney was prepared and is better at debating that the President.

The second debate between Bush and Kerry was hilarious. Kerry was offering a lot of information that the public needed to hear and Bush was clearly agitated. His anger was evident in the way he stood up and jerked his shoulders around like a teenager getting reamed for getting a detention. The media and Republican defenders tried to spin the situation by saying that Bush is passionate and cares enough that he had to be bold and cut off Charles Gibson to get his point across. As I recall, Howard Dean showed his passion and lost his momentum in the primaries.

Passion is a good trait to have, but it has to be controlled. The Bush team needs to help their man clearly get his points across without always circling back to the Iraq issue. Four years of presidency cannot be defined by one conflict. Iraq and the war on terror are major issues for this administration and our country, but the US is a multifaceted nation with several issues in constant motion. Bush has neglected to show his focus on all of those things. If a football coach only focuses on defense, the offense and special teams suffer. That's when you lose. That being said, Bush should pay attention and cover his bases.

All in all, I believe that Bush is a horrible debater, an average leader, and a poor public speaker. His fake Texan act is getting old and he seems to be a puppet leaning on his Biblical ideals. It's okay to have faith, but you have to act appropriately to avoid sins such as:

1) Going after Iraq when the focus should have been on Afghanistan. Many people have been killed and maimed because of this sin.
2) Sending your friend to the UN to tell your lies and then keeping him quiet. Colin Powell is the most reasonable voice in the party and Bush sold him out. He didn't honor his neighbor.
3) Bush gave a speech to the US citizens about specific quantities of chemical weapons to justify attacking Iraq. Not a drop of those chemicals have been found and the reason for going to Iraq has been changed to liberate Iraq. It will go down in history as Operation Iraqi Freedom. He lied to our faces and many people have been killed and maimed in the process.

Bush is a liar and an average leader. I think Kerry would be a better president. But after listening to the news, overhearing people in the airports, and talking to other people, I'm certain Bush will win and Limbaugh and Hannity will rejoice. That's cool. Their man will win. They deserve to be happy. I just hope that when Alan Keyes loses in Illinois, Bush doesn't find a job for him in Washington.