Debate rehash, or, “Mexed Missages”
So, there were no “zingers” (as John McCain said on Larry King). I don’t think Kerry’s really a home-run king; he’s a solid RBI hitter, and, to continue the metaphor, he brought in the runs tonight. Bush, on the other hand, seemed to foul-bunt about half the pitches. (OK, metaphor over now.) Despite an entire program about his favorite topic, the war on Tara terror, Bush frequently appeared bewildered and lost, trying to pluck his train of thought from the air in front of him. He also seemed unable to listen with patience and grace while Kerry spoke; he came barely short of sighing on several occasions. When rebutting, his quintessential conspiratorial lectern-lean turned, over the course of the evening, to a crumpled bunker-dive behind the podium, as Erin pointed out. He looked cowed, tired, frustrated and stubborn, looking for a rock—or Iraq—to hide under.