The Debate: I Hope It Was A Draw

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Just switched back to Fox and see that Chris Wallace is interviewing Hillary Clinton. Well, some things are just unbearable, folks, so I came into the office to blog. No TV in this room!

I am a little surprised that most pundits are calling this one a tie. Frankly, I thought Bush got pummeled during the foreign policy questions, but I hope I am wrong. Part of my reaction may be due to my having listened to that portion of the debate on the radio. My wife (a TV person) says Bush came across better on television.

I thought the questions had a clear pro-Kerry bias. Don't know what to make of that. The final question was ridiculous-- Bush is supposed to name his three biggest mistakes? And Kerry simply gets to elaborate on that? What???

Anyway, here were the big fat medium-speed fastballs right up the middle that I think the president whiffed on:

• Tora Bora. Why do Kedwards get to keep saying we had Osama surrounded and let him go? No one knows that to be true, certainly not Kerry. But he has gotten a pass twice now on saying he does know. I don't get it.
• General Shinseki. The General announced his retirement in 2002, long before any decisions as to troop strength on the ground were made. Not a big point but easy to dispose of-- and it would have made Kerry look slippery.
• The courts. Oh, the courts! The courts! A major reason to vote for Bush! But Kerry won that point. Bush mutters about Dred Scott and it's Kerry-- Kerry! - who's quoting Potter Stewart. Maybe Bush could have said something about the 4-3 decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, finding a right in that state to gay marriage, as an example of the kind of justices he would not appoint? Is that not an obvious point to make, or am I just missing something? (If you think you feel frustration leaking through my comments here, you are right.)

Bush did win the health care debate. And partial-birth abortion. And stem cells. Kerry was stumbling there.

I hope I am overreacting. I wanted Bush to do better. But if he's perceived to have tied, I'll be happy. Really. And relieved.

I'm still a loyal Bushie. I just hope he can survive these debates and get re-elected.

To all you parents who want your kids to grow up to become president: Makes sure they take plenty of speech classes and read lots of books. It helps to be a master of the English language if you want to be president!

To those of you who think Bush did better than I think he did: I'd love to hear from you. Please use the "comment" feature below!