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October 01, 2004
Substance Over Style
Watched the debate last night, and I have to agree with Dick Morris. (Ick! Did I really just say that?) From a strictly collegiate debating standpoint, Kerry kicked Bush's ass. He was smooth, well-prepared and collected.
But this ain't a college debate competition.
Kerry not only had little of substance to say, what little substantive information he gave showed an appalling ignorance of how the real world works.
Example: repeatedly hammering Bush for sending 'Afghan tribal warlords' after bin Laden. Hello? Does he really think we'll capture Osama any other way? I'm no Afghan expert, but I do recognize a hillbilly clan culture when I see one. And you're not going to find anyone who doesn't want to be found in that kind of culture without getting the locals' assistance, except by accident. Ask any former revenuer.
And does Kerry really believe that we don't need China's help with North Korea? Clinton already tried 'bilateral talks' and we've all seen what that led to. The carrot didn't work, now we're left to wield the stick. And no one wields a bigger stick with Kim il Poofy Hair than China.
I'll leave it to others to nitpick over the blatant contradictions in his statements (and there were several), but for the most part his message was what it's always been. A) He's not Bush; and B) he would do things differently & better cuz he's just cool like that.
That may've played in a pre-Sept. 11th world, but that world no longer exists. As Bush said, this isn't about just Afghanistan or even Iraq. This is a global war, against an enemy whose hatred of us knows no bounds.
And nothing I saw last night convinced me that Kerry understands that at all.
Posted by Rita at October 1, 2004 05:45 AM