Franklin

Presidential Face Off:
I suppose I should have watched it … anyone see the first Presidential Debate (if that is what it is called)? Any comments. Any big mistakes … anything particularly memorable all was it all a load of tosh … very forgettable … like … “I got no memory, no memory at all.� (PG).

Arlington-DC face off:
If there was a decent British pub in Arlington (VA) I would have had a good few beers to drown my sorrows - Arlington botched getting the Montreal Expos' ... I am still reeling from that ... Darn it, the team wanted to move to Pentagon City in Arlington - would have been great! But Arlington told them to go elsewhere, unbelievable. Shocking ... sorry, I LUV baseball still miss the White Sox and Cubs games. At least there is F1 ... sort of, maybe ... (RD)

Just Jenney

I watched it, and all I can say is, I honestly don't know how ANYONE could vote for Bush after that. I tried to see how many times he muttered "Umm..." but I lost count. How presidential.

Kerry, by comparison, was incredibly polished. And despite Bush's repeated insistence that Kerry didn't have a firm stance on anything, Kerry's comments were consistent the entire way through. It made Bush seem really clueless.

And it occurred to me that it's possible that Bush isn't so much trying to twist Kerry's words around to make him sound like a flip-flopper, as much as Bush genuinely can't comprehend the subtle differences in Kerry's stances on certain issues. For instance, Bush kept mentioning how Kerry contradicted himself by stating Saddam needed to be removed from power, while at the same time stating that the War in Iraq is "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time". It's obvious that Bush can't differentiate between the two -- that Saddam IS a bastard who needed to be removed from power, but not necessarily under those circumstances. Duh.

I was especially pleased to see the ABC network interview a group of undecided voters immediately after the debate, ALL of whom are now leaning towards Kerry. That was so cool.

~ Jenney

Duncan Roberts

My personal favourite..
"We got a...ummm......uhh...ummm.....bunch of folks..."

adeshell

Yeah, Al Queda is 'a bunch of folks'....

Don't you think it was a bit off color with the leash comment 'Yeah, try to put a leash on them...' with the whole Abu Ghraib thing. Seemed a bit odd to me. Otherwise Kerry seemed in a different class. On the other hand, Bush seemed nervous and acted like a kid trying to bluff his way out of detention.

rincewind

Kerry final came through and said what had to be said. He was on the attack and it was good to see ol' George look pissed.

Kerry by far looked more like a President than Bush did and I think this debate will up him in the polls.

I'm looking forward to the other debates and see what Kerry has to say on other issues besides the war.

Lion in Winter

Kerry's a better public speaker - no surprise there. Handles arguments better - no surprise there. Stuck to his guns about the war being the wrong war, etc.

But will it change minds?

Manc

I watched it in it's entirety.

Kerry was clear, concise and educated

George Bush looked like a bumbling fool. Who looked like an annoying gimp whom was getting verbally beaten up by his principle.

A couple of comments by Bush I've not heard any commontary on.
"A more free Iraq will secure Israel" um....... how so George, will free Arabs suddenly love Israel?

I do think Kerry's bilateral talks with N. Korea isn't the way to go, I think China needs to be there in the talks to show China (as their best friends) to show what irrational loons Kim Jong Il and his cronies are.

Other than that, Kerry was spot on. He didn't flip flop, he stuck to his guns on where he stood and spelled it out.

Kerry looked like the President, Bush looked like he was still in Junior High.

It was a complete mismatch.

I don't think either candidate lost any of it's base support, however, if I were in the upper echelons of the Republican party (and obviously Ivy league clever) I would this morning be disgusted on how this gimp ever got the top job in the party.

TimFountain

But why should I care. I am still waiting for my green card, and after that (whatever century this happens in) I will have to wait another 5 years before I can vote.
So it looks like it will be the next muppet show before I will need to pay any attention to this vitally important issue. Apart from entertainment value (along with drying paint, grass growing and reading the telephone directory) I would guess most people on this board are in the same boat? I guess it could help in discussions with colleagues/friends who are interested.

- Tim

Lion in Winter

Well since we are talking about the most powerful country on the face of the earth (until China catches up ), I would say everyone ought to care, whether they can vote or not. The actions of the US governement affect millions of people, I think we should at least keep at eye on them.

TimFountain

Agreed, but I cannot influence this, so I will wait until the voting is over, look at the result the morning after, shrug and say WTF and move on.

Lion in Winter

You can't influence by voting, but you can by talking with those who can vote.

rincewind

I think the biggest issue I have with the whole thing is the way the USA's president is portrayed. I may get bombasted for this but why does the American President always believe they rule the World? I heard the phrase used so many times last night it was untrue and my wife laughed as I was jumping up and down in rage. They don't rule the World, they govern the USA. Leave other people the f**k alone.

Is this slowly moving to the "one-World" government that so many conspiracy theorists claim?

I believe, and I maybe wrong, that the reason why so many other countries hate America is that the president believes he rules the World. Maybe if the president focused on issues that are on their home soil and stopped ruling with an iron fist, then maybe they wouldn't get such a bad rap.

RoB1833

I'd prefer to see them go at it in a pub after a few beers instead of having all the conditions negotiated beforehand.

Manc

iaink

Wouldnt that be great I think Kerry came over very well, but the media is calling it a bit closer than the posters here are. Of course there wouldnt be any media bias would there??? I think I recognised that blank look from GWB a couple of times from the clip of him at that school being told of the 911 attacks?