Flame me now: Kerry blew his big chance

[Quahog]

I'm sorry, but I must not have been watching the same debate as everyone else here.

I won't totally dis our candidate, he did have one excellent moment. Kerry said that just because bush* SAYS bilateral talks w/ N Korea won't work, doesn't make it so. This is the sort of dismantling of the chimp's credibility that he could have accomplished twenty times in the course of the evening.

But he didn't. He played it safe, tried not to ruffle the panties of the soccer moms, and he blew his chance. When bush* called him out for not supporting the troops, he should have said, "Unlike you, I AM a troop." Instead, he talked about hunting and killing terrorists. When bush* played a truly beautiful card about hugging the wife of a dead soldier, Kerry should have said, "Interesting talk coming from a man who has not attended ONE funeral of a fallen soldier." But he didn't, instead he talked about percentages of deployment.

Yes, Kerry had the facts on his side. But he reverted to a focus on the facts at precisely the moments when he should have gone for the emotional and the heart-felt. He came off as very analytical, and impossible to anger. But dammit, he SHOULD have been angry. bush* outright LIED about Kerry's positions several times, and while Kerry said "I have been consistent," he should have said, "George, why do you keep lying about my position?" He seemed weak. bush* seemed aggressive, Kerry was constantly trying to deflect the personal assaults but he was too soft every single time. God bless Jim Lehrer, who even opened the door for Kerry, who basically said, "Senator Kerry, you keep talking about the truth, whassup with THAT?" And JK would not say the word "lie." It's the most powerful word in politics, it applies to 70% of the shit monkey was talking tonight, JK could have used it tonight and defended it with facts in the morning, but he backed off. Weak.

I tried to watch as an "undecided" (bargain I struck with my wife that I wouldn't stand up and scream "YOU FUCKING LIAR" every few seconds when the monkey was jabbering). And if I was truly undecided (who are these losers?), I would have walked away thinking that status quo probably beat gambling on this new guy, who seeemed kind of soft and irresolute.

Sorry folks, but if this infotainment event decides the election, we are well and thoroughly fucked. Kerry should not have listened to whoever told him to be nice, he should have gone for the jugular.

I am so disappointed.

[Duncan Grant]

1. Sorry. I'm not buying what you're selling. eom

[Minimus]

2. burn baby burn! consider yourself flamed

Yes, What were you watching?

[Walt Starr]

3. What are you smoking?

because it MUST be illegal!

[TheWebHead]

4. you are the unswayable base

that's not Kerry's target. This wasn't the time for mean-spirited red-meat. Kerry had to hold some of his punches, and he did effectively.

[Lefty48197]

You must have been watching a different debate.

It sure looked like a Kerry rout to me! On to round two!

[Endangered Specie]

5. I think some of Teresas words would be an appopriate response.

[XanaDUer]

6. How could Kerry have done anything different?

There were 32 pages of rules the Bushies put up before CHimpy would even consider the debates.

We was superb within the limited environment the BushCo Group constructed and *still* wiped the floor with Bush.

[mac56]

7. I don't even know where to begin with that.

A masterful event by anyone's definition. Kerry looked presidential; Shrub did not.

Sorry you wanted him to go for the jugular. Not presidential.

Sorry you didn't get the bloodbath you seem to hope for.

Learn to deal with disappointment. Consider yourself flamed.

[vetwife]

8. Been sippin Koolaid? Kerry won hands down !

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[deadparrot]

10. This wasn't Kerry's big chance to begin with.

I, personally, was hoping for a draw. Despite what we here at DU know, most Americans are very pro-* in the homeland security department. Kerry, at the very least, dented that image of *.

[Webster Green]

11. Very strange review...

Kerry in a landslide!

[johnnyrocket]

12. You still gotta have BRAINS to find you way to the polling place..

wait in line, and pick a name.

Brains wins over irrational fear and dopey slogans tonight!

Maybe the world will soon be saved!! Kerry's going to win this thing! The tide is turning...it'll be an unstoppable tsunami before long.

[wellstone_democrat]

13. Not in the last 10 mins---Bush blew it then

if not before. I came in during the last 10 mins and Lehrer was trying to get Bush to answer by prompting him ("doesn't that raise your hackles?") which got a weird snigger from the "President" who was slumped over the podium. Then he yammered on about "not taking things personally" or something.

I thought I was looking at Saturday Night Live's parody of the debate for a moment.

I don't know what the hell he did the rest of the night but that was so bizarre that I would never have believed he was competent to run a clamcake shack down at Salty Brine State Beach*

*gratuitous RI ref for the Quahog man...

[Algorem]

14. Biden said after that China ASKED for bilateral U.S.-N.K. talks.Bushgoof!

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

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[npincus]

16. i wish he'd slammed Bush on HIS flip-flops

Kerry didn't put the 'flip-flop' label to bed- he sould've stuck it to the Chimp. Maybe he's saving it for the next debate.

[kodi]

17. a Quahog is a shell fish stuck in the mud

Kerry did not do a dukakis. he attacked bush incessantly and raised legitimate questions about bush and his abilities as president.

[Moderator]

18. locking

flame bait