October 01, 2004

curious george - who's gonna watch the debates? just kinda, you know, curious...
  • Making plans as we speak. Type. Er, communicate. Whatever...
  • What debates?
  • I have never felt so caught up in a presidential election as I have this one. I will be watching, so no phone calls please.
  • I'm afraid I'll be trampled in the mad rush to the on-line opinion polls afterward. In any case, it's time to get blotto and yell at the glass teat.
  • Well, I'm still up, 'cos we got a by-election over here tonight as well, and Tony Blair's going into hospital to have his heart implanted, so there's stuff going on all over the place. I have beer, political wonks on my telly and the Libertines on my CD player. Loving it. Oh, and I just turned 24 an hour ago. Man, my life is fun. Woo!
  • Happy b-day flash.
  • ugh! I am going to watch, even tho I already know who I am voting for, even tho the farcical spectacle is likely to make me projectile vomit, even tho I grow increasingly worried that the entrenched neocon theocracy is, well...entrenched. ugh!
  • Presidential Debate Bingo Funny. via Fark, unfortunately.
  • I would love to watch a debate, if only they would have one. What they are doing tonite however, is not going to be a debate.
  • I'll be here as I have no TV.
  • May your days be happy ones, flashboy.
  • I have to watch. I'm giving a quiz on it tomorrow.
  • So far they are just sucking the dicks of the UoM students.
  • I was going to, but have decided to go to bed instead. I'm counting on y'all to fill me in on all the fisticuffs and mud-wrestling and swearing and stuff that I'm no doubt missing.
  • happy birthday flashboy!!! I'll hoist one for ya this evening...
  • oh, and happy birthday, flashboy!
  • I am watching them, but I needed moral support. He's on the way. I may need someone to hold me afterward.
  • Sometimes I really thank God I don't have cable. As for political debates, it's amazing how far the quality standard has fallen over the years.
  • *mutters something about all the US election posts lately* *goes off to watch the "debate"*
  • Hey tracicle - you have a point, I mean, there is an Australian election coming up soon and all but, frankly, I'm just not seeing that much to comment on. Howard is a nasty little arsehole, but there is every chance he'll be voted back in, so I guess it's another few years of second rate government in the Oz.
  • Today's Newspoll has Latham in front by 52 to 48; let's not roll over too soon there, poly.
  • Go Latham! In other news, I think Kerry has bad wind. Wooden great wazzock.
  • Well I'm already a bit surprised: I expected Bush to be a better debater than this.
  • Bush did just call bin Laden "Saddam Hussein"...
  • I thought for sure he'd practiced that "mistake"...
  • Bush sounds really out of breath--exasperated. Thinking on his feet is really taxing him.
  • Does Bush looked a little tweaked to you? I'm just waiting for him to yell, "AW, FUCK!" and push the podium over.
  • You can definitely tell when he's shifting into the blocks of text he memorized for the debate.
  • I don't know how Bush is going to last the 2 hours. I like this Kerry in attack mode.
  • I certainly hope Latham gets in: preferences are the wild card, since that 52-48 split is after preferences. At least it's not as bad as the US. With so many not-voters out there, if they ever _do_ decide to go to the polls, every damn state would be a swing state.
  • Look at him, he's just waiting to pounce on Bush.
  • I am totally in love with this Kerry. More of this please!!!!
  • Jesus god "missy johnson, lovely lady i met in... north... uh carolina er somethin" ... "after we laughed and cried and prayed a little... uh"
  • Crap crap crap, my TV-viewing options are currently Days of our Lives or The Tigger Movie. I really needed something amusing to watch, damn. Has Bush hulked up yet?
  • God! Why doesn't Bush just start chanting "FLIP FLOP FLIP FLOP!" At least then he'd be more intelligible.
  • tracicle, you can get the the video here - http://www.c-span.org/homepage.asp, or audio at the same place or npr... if the debate is what you want.
  • I did expect Kerry to be this haughty and annoying, but I did not expect Bush to let himself be this petulant and repetitious.
  • Kerry mentioned the 14 premanent bases being built in Iraq! I thought they were off limits.
  • Kerry, in my opinion, is winning!
  • 'Libya was a threat'. -- Bush Oh?
  • Are there going to be any other debates? Why does the topic get to be Bush's strong suit, if you can consider it that strong?
  • Are there going to be any other debates? Not anymore, methinks.
  • Quiz question #1: Why did they talk about Iraq and nothing else?
  • Bush is bragging that he didn't sign for the International Criminal Court! And this was in a question about how to get global credibility! Oh man, oh man, oh man.
  • Capt: that's the umbrella topic of this debate.
  • Well, the debate was limited ot foreign policy, and Iraq is *the* foreign policy issue.
  • Bush gained a reputation as a strong debater in 2000, after he got a 15 point post-debate bounce. Here's a summary of approval rating changes, post debate (via washingtonmonthly.com) 1960: 4% (Kennedy) 1976: 4% (Ford) 1980: 6% (Reagan) 1984: 3% (Reagan) 1988: 3% (Dukakis) 1992: 3% (Bush) 1996: 1% (Clinton) 2000: 15% (Bush) Bush is so far in front it isn't funny. That's where his rep comes from.
  • He mentioned the draft!
  • OT: good thinking keeping this at the top of the page tracicle.
  • That (only Iraq) was an oversimplification on my part. I just wanted to hear more about the homeland security part, which has not been covered as extensively.
  • Is this going to be re-run later tonight? I wasn't going to watch for fear of having an artery burst but now i've decided it would be worth the risk.
  • I think I once signed a petition to get Taco Bell to bring back Mexed Missages.
  • This is turning into a good old-fashioned ass whooping.
  • Both Bush and Kerry have "rapid response" websites spinning at a million rpm.
  • Hmm. Kerry's really warmed up. He's doing not bad at all. Sentences with four or fewer clauses. Unexpected. Bush, on the other hand, is... an incoherent buffoon. And also, he's describing a reality I don't really recognise. ICC bad? Iraq working? Libya a result of US diplomacy? Iran being worked on by US diplomacy? North Korea all fine and dandy? What. The. Fuck? Ah, whatever.
  • Happy birthday flashboy! I believe I am drunk now.
  • I actually thought Kerry was going to make an ass of himself. Man, Bush sucked. Where was that famous charm.
  • *Ding* Round 1 to Kerry!
  • Fox news is judging it Kerry, Fox fucking news! Yahhooooooo!
  • Fark is calling it for Kerry too. But what now? does Kerry automatically get Florida?
  • I'm listening to teenagers call on CSPAN repeat the talking points back. Brainwashed.
  • Fox news is judging it Kerry So is FreeRepublic.
    Even Jonah Goldberg (per Allah) thinks Kerry won, and I agree. On the merits, he whipped the president, hands down; luckily, the GOP has some of the best spinners and operatives around, and debate performance is seen through the prism of post-debate spin, in part because millions who watch these debates don't know a damn thing about the particulars of what is being discussed.
    Free Fucking Republic! Yahhooooooo!
  • I thought this would be a dead heat. Kerry came out tops. Kerry: articulate, graceful. Bush: lots of arguments that pandered to emotion (then again American voters like that). Hmmm.
  • ...in part because millions who watch these debates don't know a damn thing about the particulars of what is being discussed. So, once again, democracy in the US depends on ignorance. God bless America. I think I'll just go have some Mexed Missages. With cheese.
  • Even Jonah Goldberg (per Allah) thinks Kerry won, and I agree. On the merits, he whipped the president, hands down; luckily, the GOP has some of the best spinners and operatives around, and debate performance is seen through the prism of post-debate spin, in part because millions who watch these debates don't know a damn thing about the particulars of what is being discussed. fuyugare, you got a link to that.
  • 2 comments from littlegreenfootballs: "My verdict, close to a draw, but while Bush wins on substance, Kerry came across calmer. Nobody stole decided voters, but for the undecided (ie, the clueless) kerry probably picked up some votes." "Kerry did alright delivery wise and just slightly won this debate." Little Green Fucking Footballs! Yahhooooooo!
  • firs person to make a dance mix with Bush repeating "Wrong time, wrong place, wrong war" and distro it via P2P wins teh first INDUCE ticket to Gitmo! Ready, Set, Go!
  • Hey Sully, repost yer blogeration link.
  • You can navigate to it through his profile mwhybark.
  • firs person to make a dance mix with Bush repeating "Wrong time, wrong place, wrong war" and distro it via P2P wins teh first INDUCE ticket to Gitmo! Ready, Set, Go! I'm waiting for someone to make a mix of Shrub saying "doody." doody, doody, d-, d-, doody, doody.
  • First, to He of the Flash: flappy mirthday, mon frer. Tie it on good. To tracicle and all of our brethren and sisteren in the Magical Lands of Oz and Hobbiton: On behalf of my fellow Mordorians, I apologize for the theft of thunder. But seriously, four more years and who knows what? All I can say is that it'll be over in a month and change. Meantime, here's hoping you can do to your fuckheads what we're trying to do to ours. And though the format makes this a joke of the label "debate," this was undeniably good for Kerry. Beautiful job, only a few points I think he didn't live up to full potential. Overall, it was a pro-gressive smackdown. And I couldn't be more pleased.
  • Sullivan: it was on this thread, but some of the comments (including that one) are already deleted, it seems.
  • Transcript and Video (Fox News)
  • Sullivan: someone from Kos appears to have caught this same comment.
  • I'm glad you caught that too, Goodnitemush. My take on it all. 1: KERRY, GROW SOME FUCKING BALLS. How many times could Kerry have ripped Bush a new one? Kerry was on the defense the entire time when he should have been on the offense. He should have made Bush answer questions, he should have flat out called him out for repeating the same thing over and over again. Something that comes to mind was the question about Putin and Russia moving away from a democracy. Bush answered the question like an idiot, and Kerry did not a goddamned thing. He should have hit the PATRIOT act, and most importantly, it's recent overturning of a section being ruled that it was unconstitutional. That's something he could have hit Bush with, seeing that Bush pushed the PATRIOT act a couple times during the debate, Kerry should have come back "It's been overturned as unconstitutional. Explain." Or how about the Draft? Edwards has mentioned it, and Kerry should have forced that issue with Bush. It would have been uncomfortable for Bush, and would have put him on the defensive. And that's what is consistently happening with Kerry, is that he's a goddamned pussy who has forgotten his military glory, who has forgotten that he chased down Vietcong and fucking killed people. This presidency is a war, and Kerry should fight dirty in it. Hit Bush. Expose his weaknesses. Shut him the hell up, make him look weak, make him stutter. It's not bloody hard. Grow some damned balls, Kerry, be a general, and make us respect your power and your veracity in a debate.
  • followup to my last post... People want that. Look at how well the Swift Boat attacks went over for Bush. People love dirt, they love feeling powerful over their opponents, and they love it when people are made to look weak. So why Kerry doesn't get the message and utterly verbally destroy Bush in one of the only chances he'll ever get, confounds me.
  • this thread, but some of the comments (including that one) are already deleted Why am I not surprised. Happy b-day Flash. I'm still waiting for that mp3 of Total Eclipse of the Heart.
  • There are some online polls where you can express your opinion on the debate if you, uh, you know, want to. CNN BBC MSNBC
  • So far they are just sucking the dicks of the UoM students. As an alumnus of UM (c/o '96), I wholeheartedly support this course of action.
  • OK, who's running the books around here? I want to make a bet that there will be a massive terror alert tomorrow.
  • Heh, I just actually read this thread: Happy Birthday flashy - not much better way to spend it than talking politics online (har har, i'm sarcastic). :) Just kidding. Hey, anyone notice when Bush called Darfur a genocide? I do believe that's a precedent. He's never done that before, only Powel. I also do believe that he is required by international law to now give logistical support to end the genocide, as defined by one of the UN treaties. This strikes me as something big; Bush said it with his own mouth, "I believe the situation in Darfur is a genocide." I'm damn sure he just legally fucked himself.
  • Fucking hysterical. Kevin Drum writes, "Earnest commentators around the country have been urging the press to focus on substance tonight instead of obsessing over facial tics, body language, hairstyles, and other trivia. In the face of this tsunami of conventional wisdom, I'm glad to see that one man has the guts to call a spade a spade and demand that the media pay more attention to makeup and juvenile theme songs... A grateful nation salutes you, Hugh Hewitt.
    And the morning papers--except the New York Post-- said not a word. The Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun-Times, and other old media found space to cover the decision of the Crawford, Texas' Lone Star Iconoclast--circulation 425--to endorse John Kerry, but refused to acknowledge a genuine, though bizarre, story that is actually having an impact on the race--because they collectively don't think it should be having an impact on the race. This is doubly indefensible because candidate appearance stories have mattered in presidential debates from Nixon's sweat in 1960 to Gore's pancake in 2000. If Kerry's sudden play for the Great Pumpkin vote isn't gone or made over by tonight, millions of viewers won't get past his appearance to hear what he has to say about his many positions on Iraq because they won't be able to stop laughing. Old media's refusal to note what ordinary Americans are talking about is the latest in a series of stubborn refusals that began with elitist indifference and ideological bent and which are ending in irrelevance. There have been others (Rathergate and Christmas-not-in-Cambodia) and there will be more.
  • MSNBC poll so far. Pres. Bush 30% Sen. Kerry 70%
  • flashboy, what is it, oct 1? if so, we have the same birthday, separated by 5 years.
  • ... and apparently a few timezones as well.
  • Just kidding, I'm a moron. I never realized Bush himself had stated Darfur was a genocide; I'd only read it was Powell. Probably should have researched that before I hit post, but I'm all heated and not posting correctly right now because of the sorry state of american politics. Sigh. But anyways, Bush declared Darfur a genocide, why are we not acting? I could have sworn (google not helping me find UN docs, arg) that if we declare it thus, we are legally obliged to act.
  • Instapundit
    GERGEN ON CNN: No knockout punches and no memorable lines, but one of the best debates I remember. Calls it a draw for the candidates.
  • i am happy that the debate was televised with a split-screen so that i could see reactions from both candidates. no real zingers in this one but sen. kerry sure looked more presidential of the two. in my opinion. happy birthday flashboy
  • Man, the rich white guy from Yale kicked ass!
  • My (formerly) running commentary is here.
  • Happy Birthday Flashboy.
  • 1) happy birthday flashboy! 2) my blood pressure went through the roof when the first. thing. out of Bush's mouth was about 9/11: BUSH: I, too, thank the University of Miami, and say our prayers are with the good people of this state, who've suffered a lot. September the 11th changed how America must look at the world. And since that day, our nation has been on a multi-pronged strategy to keep our country safer. (head to keyboard action ensues)
  • Did I say YAHOOOOOOOO!
  • MOTHER FUCKIN' YAHOOOOOOOOO!
  • Happy Birthday Flashboy!
  • Freepers wonder: did Lehrer cheat by giving Kerry the questions in advance? We cast aspersions. You decide.
  • Many Happy Returns, Flashboy!
  • Meh. Where were the gloves? The referee making them un-clinch? The bumbling monkey crying for daddy? The dancing Kerry shouting, 'IN YOUR FACE, BITCH'? Your election show so far has been a letdown, USAians.
  • I had rehearsal tonight, and didn't get to see it. I'm pleased to hear that Kerry did well! Happy birthday, flashboy!
  • Happy Birthday Flashboy!
  • Bush played it safe by sticking to his script, struggle though it was. Repetitive, though it was. I was totally outraged at the complete offhand manner in which Bush glossed over Darfur, as if it was a very minor issue, at best. In fact, he seemed to have difficulty not showing his anger at Colin Powell for having said the word 'Genocide' in the first place. I was relieved that Kerry proved to be stronger than I had expected. Not as strong as I would like, mind you. However, I am really looking forward to the Edwards/Cheney debate. Dates for the next three debates are; Oct. 5th (Edwards/Cheney), Oct. 8th, Oct.13th. I am hoping that Kerry is holding back a little to really show his abilities at the tail end of the debates. Also, I believe he is likely waiting to see the results of the debate before he makes a stronger statement. Unfortunately, Americans are a fickle bunch. Well, we'll see if Edwards can rile Cheney up enough to drop the F-bomb, haha! GO KERRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FLASHBOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • *picks up used paper plates, sweeps up streamers from floor*
  • *hears paper-plate rumpling noises above* *crawls out from under the table with a bad hangover* Hey, I was still eating that! ... Uh, where'd everybody go?
  • /looks at clock, realizes it's about to start all over again Happy Birthday Calimehtar!
  • Yep.
  • Hmm, mexedmissages.com is already registered. Man these people move quick!
  • TORRENT PLZ (Seriously. I had to miss it.)
  • birthy hapday, flash! >>Check out the tape when the debates ended and Jim Lehrer walks up to Kerry and winks and nod's at him. What the hell was that all about? I smell a hand off of the questions prior to the debates. oh, puhleeese. online journos seem to have discovered that all they have to do is throw out a comment like this and it starts ricocheting all over the place. for the record, lehrer walked up to *bush FIRST* and spoke with him longer. MUST BE SOMETHING UP WITH THAT. sheesh.
  • The next-debate should be interesting... as the Iraq issue was Bush's one chance to shine. Now he'll be having to face up to domestic issues.
  • It's my birthday, too! I'm 27 today, which puts me safely out of the draftable age range. Hooray!
  • That freerepublic thread makes my brain hurt. They're rewinding and slo-mo-ing their Tivos like it's the Zapruder film or something. Back...and to the left...back...and to the left... Money quotes: At any rate, so what if Kerry was more prepared or you think he won. For me it's just more evidence of the liberal lovin' media. Exactly! That is what I said. Stuttering makes one look more human. And my personal favorite: You can't spell. You have a stupid screen name and you probably went to public school. Go away troll.
  • Hmm... That Kerry boy just might earn my vote after all. Kind of a relief actually. Nader's not on the ballot here and I wasn't looking forward to carving his name into the poll volunteer's forehead. Hey, Flashboy, c'mere. C'mon, just come here... looks around conspiratorially, hands FB a 50 Bannana Note Happy birthday man. Go buy yourself something nice. And, you know, imaginary.
  • Wow, no terror alerts yet. Come on, Tom Ridge! Rise and shine!
  • Birthday Monkeys! Party! Party! Democratic Party Happy Birthday Flashboy, Calimehtar, and Hlewagast--and many more. Balloons and bananas for everyone. I liked the fact that this debate didn't turn dirty (although I wish Kerry would have nailed The Moron on a few points)
  • My ratings (during the debate): Presidential candidate that can recall (seared! seared I say!) going to a place where the Nazi's gassed the Jews as a positive transition to democracy. (+1 Kerry) had to double check with Mrs Rot that he actually said Treblinka Not getting drunk during the debate - "Vietnam" and "Haliburton" not mentioned nearly enough to achieve anything more than a small buzz. (-1 Kerry) Net result: I'm voting for Lehr.
  • Wow, no terror alerts yet. Come on, Tom Ridge! Rise and shine! No terror alert necessary this time. They're bombing iraqis instead.
  • I didn't see anything about this, but didn't Bush depart the mutually agreed format a couple of times to inject his own rebuttals? Can anyone confirm this? Have any pundits focused on that?
  • Another little golden nugget about the media's debate coverage, brought to you by the very heterosexual Jesus' General: turns out that one of the three Floridian 'undecided voters' interviewed by CNN prior to the debate is in fact a dedicated GOP supporter... And many happies to all the birthday monkeys! Bananas all round!
  • The Daily Show (Real Player) has their take on the debate.
  • roly, i noticed that too. bush said something like, "if i could..." and kerry muttered, "oh, fine, just change the rules."
  • Curious George: Are undecided voters morons? The Daily Show implied as much, and while that was all in fun, I couldn't help wondering--how can you still be undecided? Disillusioned, I can see. Dissatisfied with the limitations of the two party system, fair enough. But the undecideds I hear interviewed seem to be okay with picking one or the other, but say they can't decide. I mean, come on: if you WANT to be involved in the process, and you WANT to choose one of these two, how in hell can you still not know which one? Is the fate of the country in the hands of people who can't tie their shoes? I'm reminded of the Gore/Bush SNL skit where Gore has to tell an undecided she should vote for Bush based on her beliefs, and vice versa. Y'know. Back when it was sometimes funny.
  • Thanks Sidedish!
  • Yo. I hope the time difference still enables this to be a legitimate HAPPY GADDAM BIRTHDAY!!! to calimehtar and Hlewagast. Thankyou, many many monkeys for the love. I am drunk right now, and feel that I love you all in ways unknown to man for many millenia. Have Monty Python in Klingon as a present. Oooh, memey memey memey. Kerry kicked Bush's ass, Latham woulda kicked both their asses, and Gordon Brown would have prudently managed all their asses all the way to heaven and back. Tony Blair has a funny heart. That is all.
  • I guess I'm late for this, but here's something nobody has mentioned yet: depending which channel you watched, Bush and Kerry appeared to be the same, or different heights. Apparently, part of the contract specified that Bush had to be filmed to look as tall as Kerry. I watched the debates at a public discussion group and noticed that every time a split-screen was shown, the podium in front of Bush was higher. The manipulation was obvious, and a little distracting. But when I watched the CBS version I Tivoed, every time a split-screen was shown, a CBS logo would cover up the podium difference. Since the logo disappeared when only one candidate was shown, it was clearly done for the express purpose of obscuring the fact that the coverage was obscuring the height difference. If you get multiple channels airing the next debate, check it out.
  • OK kids, new debate starting soon. Time to kick this thread back into the sidebar.
  • I hope Edwards doesn't forget Poland.
  • But I'm sure he'll remember Halliburton.
  • I hope Cheney totally loses his shit, peels back that fleshy mask and reveals that he is in fact a lizard alien here to destroy us. Some cool lasers would be neat too. And/Or I'd take a classic "Smilin' Jack Kennedy tromps Shifty-eyed Tricky Dick" too. That'd be fun. So what's the drinkin' word? Besides Halliburton I mean. I say "liberal" - Cheney's gonna whip out that flaccid joke of a meme and wave it all over at Edwards. We also would accept "Fuck Yourself." Also, a quick PSA here for those Monkeys who view the debate in public places - Please don't drink and drive. After an hour of The Dick and heavy drinking, you'd best walk home and catch some z's before driving. Remember, we need you to vote.
  • i'm counting on "halliburton" and "trial lawyer" on getting me drunk tonite.
  • no votes for "global test"?
  • Actually, I expect Cheney to get irked at some statement Edwards makes, hold up his hand in a strangle position and stare hard at Edwards while the Democrat claws at his own throat and gasps. "I find your lack of faith in the tax cuts...disturbing..." I second "global test" as the drinking word. And if he says "hard work" after all the flack Bush got for it, I say it's down-in-one (only because it's so unlikely, I think).
  • But I'm sure he'll remember Halliburton.
  • *applauds, massages sore sides*
  • What the fuck are they writing? /starts
  • "global test"...everyone drink!
  • Halliburton! Take a swig!
  • I wanted to watch this, but I just can't get into it. I've got it now with the sound off and the Scissor Sisters CD playing. Odd mixture, but working. Anyway, I'll just wait for the spin.
  • man, i just drank a whole bottle of jack after that flurry of halliburton references. [/throws up]
  • TSH: I can fully endorse your decision.
  • This ain't looking good, people.
  • The Green in me doesn't really care for Edwards' politics... but I gotta admit, the boy has star quality. On the other hand, Cheney has a permanant sneer attached to his face and looks like he's about to turn into a bat and fly away.
  • I hope that's what everyone else is seeing too, the_bone . I'm afraid that Edwards is getting a little too flustered, especially regarding the "stay on topic" admonition.
  • I turned it off too. It's almost like they figured out what worked on Thursday and just told Edwards to do that, but now he's written like, a book and his papers are scattered all over the table, and he's not looking at Cheney when Cheney seems to be speaking directly to him...
  • I dunno... I'm gonna say that Edwards has the advantage. Cheney's a good speaker, but he's been on the defensive a lot and isn't making a lot of substantive statements even when pressed.
  • Shwew. Ed's doing better now. Domestic front is more his thing.
  • I found the candidate's exchange vis a vis gay marriage very gracious.
  • I think this is the first time I've seen a politician without a flag lapel-pin in about three years.
  • On a purely visual basis, both look pretty good. Edwards looks sincere but Cheney does have a certain sense of...gravitas. Oh, and Dick just told me there ain't no tits on the radio, oh no.
  • Okay, Cheney's "public service" comment is just funny.
  • I would have laughed if I weren't yelling at the fucking television.
  • I think this is the first time I've seen a politician without a flag lapel-pin in about three years. I just wanted to point out the Edwards is wearing and always wears his son Wade's Outward Bound pin. Wade Edwards was killed in a car accident in 1996.
  • Does anyone know if any sites are going to host a stream of the debate? I only came in on the last question and final 2 minutes.
  • Edwards was better overall, I think. He has an amazing mastery of body-language. His closing statement was so much better. Cheney's was just rambling. In fact, Cheney kept sounding tireder and tireder. It wasn't the blowout that I'd expected, though. Also, I am tired of the memetic nature of these debates. Please find some other way of phrasing the '90%/90%' and 'wrong war/place/time' bites. Even just one would ad some variety.
  • genial: CSPAN-2 will rebroadcast at 11pm. Link to live feed (RealAudio)
  • A quick recap, from my perspective: Cheney: Grr. Arrg. Vote for me if you want to live. Edwards: Why yes, Duplicity is my middle name, howdya guess? Neither of them looked good, although to be honest I'm not a fan of either of them.
  • *tips hat to fuyugare, opens bottle of scotch*
  • Also, all political 'blog loading times are now slower than toenail growth. I'm almost tempted to do some actual work today. I should have watched this from my comfy couch with rapid-response beers next to me, instead of viewing it in my office over the Internet.
  • Edwards: "Are you sure only I have 90 seconds? Are you sure I don't have...one million seconds?" Cheney: "Well, you know there's so much I can say to that, I don't know where to begin. Totally inaccurate actually. Gramaticly incorrect...Doesn't exist in the same reality. I don't think I even need to comment on it, actually."
  • I'm sort of afraid that Edwards and Kerry aren't making as good a case against Bushco because they don't want to do much differently, or at least not commit to doing that much differently. Cutting Combat pay is one thing but cutting their medical benefits is something I think people would react more viscerally too. But then again, they could be reacting much better to things like Kerry voting against the bullet proof vests, and weapons.
  • "Freedom means freedom for everyone - except Nelson Mandela."
  • Cheney I know what you're saying. You're saying, "Pete! What's the 411 dogg?" To you I would say, What? Oh the debate. Yes yes. Ahhh. . Edwards missed his chances too much. His closing was good, but otherwise I was a little disappointed he didn't clean Cheney's clock. His hitting on the talking points of Halliburton, misleading the public, etc worked against him I thought. I felt he should have led more and not chased Cheney around the table. He could have really used some better arguments Re: Halliburton, the rush to war, etc. Cheney did what he does best - lies, misleads, avoids the questions all under the guise of a quiet thoughtful businessman. His attacks on Edwards were cold, calculated, over-the-top, and he basically got away with all of it. That fetid, duck-slaughtering cunt. And why didn't Edwards mention the duck-hunting trip with Scalia, the Energy commission debacle, Abu Gharib, the Novak-CIA-outing scandal, joint-testimony-before-911-commission bullshit, and MUCH MUCH MORE! NOW how much would you hate it?! Props to yentruoc for the "global test" meme - right on the *hic* money. /drinks
  • fuyugare, the rude pundit link was just...lovely.
  • Senator Gone refuted by hometown paper.
  • Edwards did OK as a politician during the debates, but after seeing him perform there is no way in hell I'm going to hire him to pursue my frivolous lawsuits.