President Gas sputters through first round of debates

[illusionofjoy]

The first of the Presidential Debates occured tonight. While the debate wasn't as aggressive as it could have been, it was certainly engaging and there is no doubt in my mind that John Kerry came out as the clear winner over George Bush in this round.

In regards to oratory and rhetoric, Kerry easily wipes the floor with Bush. It has been said numerous times that Bush is "a good debater," however the underlying fact of the matter is that, up until this point, Bush has thrown off the appearance of being a good debater because of his ability to make his lies seen believable and to brush of criticism. The Bush I saw tonight seemed agitated, uncertain, desperate and at one point downright frightened. Again and again he fell back on his routine of making the same statement repeatedly, in the hope that it would either become convincing or true. In response to various facts Kerry presented, Bush demanded a rebuttal at every chance he could take, if only to contradict his opponent with doublespeak. Sadly, while lacking in the usual malformed verbiage (aside from "nuke-U-lar"), Bush's speaking ran in circles and he often seemed pained as he tried to grasp for his next statement. Very pregnant pauses were ubiquitous on the side of the Republican candidate.

Kerry held his own very well during this discourse, exceeding the expectations of many. In a classic move, he managed to take hold of the floor and turn his opponents statements against him. Behind the podium, Kerry seemed cool, collected with statements that were concise, effectively throwing off the spectre that he is "long-winded." Also notable was the way in which Kerry deflected Bush's accusation that he is a "flip-flopper," citing many instances where Bush himself has staggered regarding his administration's policies. Overall, Kerry came off as likeable, honest and determined. Although no Bill Clinton, John Kerry's demeanour during this round of debates served to instill confidence in him as a presidential candidate and future president.

Comments

[celisa.livejournal.com]

Awww dude I totally hate it when he pronounces nuclear wrong. Ick...he pisses me off so much! I ended up doing just what I said I would do while watching the debates...laughing at Bush, yelling at him, and shouting "go Kerry - you tell that motherfucker". It was classic. Bush is fucking comical.