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Why was Kerry nodding his head while Bush was speaking?

I was personally very impressed with Kerry- he demonstrated some downright amazing abilities.

For example, Kerry apparently knows the precise places that Osama bin Laden was during all our actions in Afghanistan. He appears to know where the man is now, and is just frustrated with Bush for not going and getting him. Truly, we need this man as President, because he’ll go collect bin Laden tomorrow, and when he does, all the flowers will bloom, birds will sing, and we can all watch “The Sound of Music” on our big-screen TVs without fear.

Next, he knows exactly how the world would have been had different choices been made. He knows how to bring allies to the table, allies that have repeatedly refused to display spinal fortitude when it’s been needed, and who have specifically stated that they will not get involved, no matter who asks.

Kerry’s a genius, a psychic, a modern marvel.

Either that, or he’s a half-rate Monday-morning quarterback.

“Why was Kerry nodding his head while Bush was speaking?”

I don’t know. I thought his off camera behavior was distinctly odd. The nodding, the exaggerated note taking, and at one point he even seemed to mouth some words to someone off camera. Off camera, he exuded a cockiness than seemed quite … unpresidential.

Todd, I know you’re relatively new to my little web-based “Usenet group” (have you sent in your membership fee yet?), but I’m sure you remember my contrarian nature. In this election, whenever someone leaves partisan commentary, I’m able to sarcastically take up the other side … no matter which side you chose. Because I can’t bring myself to vote for either of these guys (3,000 words why). Where is Ross Perot when you really need him?

So, you’re right, Kerry saying (more than once, I believe) that bin Laden is hiding in Afghanistan is about like earlier week when the President said, “As a result of the American military, the Taliban is no longer in existence.” There is some underlying kernel that is somewhere near the truth (bin Laden is believed to be in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border areas, and the Taliban is no longer in power), but the statement itself is not accurate.

There was quite a bit of that last night, but I’ll tell you two big fat ones from Bush that jumped out at me.

“The A.Q. Khan network has been brought to justice.” By whom? Musharaff gave Khan a pardon, he’s not in jail, and we have not been even allowed to question him directly. The network might have been broken up, but we do not have a complete picture of what it did, and no one was “brought to justice.” That’s an empty phrase this administration has often used.

“We’ve got 100,000 trained now, 125,000 by the end of this year, 200,000 by the end of next year.” My wife, the accountant, immediately said hesitantly … “those are some big numbers.” She instinctively knew they sounded … boasty. She was right

“documents prepared by Defense Department officials and given to lawmakers show that fewer than 100,000 will be trained by the end of this year.The Pentagon also said on Monday that only about 53,000 of the 100,000 Iraqis on duty now have undergone training. The documents, obtained by Reuters, show that of the nearly 90,000 currently in the police force, only 8,169 have had the full eight-week academy training. And it will be July 2006 before the administration’s new goal of 135,000 fully trained police is met.”

As that article notes, the President has been using these figures in the past week or so, and the Pentagon has since said they aren’t quite accurate (by about 50% or more).

Yet the President continues to use them, as he did last night. The nicest thing you can say about that is that maybe his people are feeding him bad information, and not correcting it. On the most important matter on his plate.

I know, I know. It’s hard work, and we’re making progress. But I’ve been on the blew it at Tora Bora, got no plan in Iraq bandwagon for 1.5-2.5 years before anyone named Kerry jumped on it. You might even say I helped nail that bandwagon together.

You’re right, Osama is not in Afghanistan. Because the last time we knew for a fact that he was, it was Nov/Dec 2001, and we actually had him narrowed down to one 12 square mile area. We failed to seal it. We had the cat in the bag, and now, three years later, we’re chasing kittens all over the place.

To paraphrase one of Kerry’s lines from last night: Kerry was inarticulate in saying that Osama is in Afghanistan, but Bush let Osama escape from Afghanistan. Which is worse?

Well, it’s hard to tell with Osama. You’ve got to figure that someone in Al Quaeda’s got a camcorder, and tapes aren’t that hard to find even in Afghanistan.

So… why no new video?

Instead, since Tora Bora we’ve had what, 1 or 2 scratchy audiotapes from him? Now, if I were technically ept, I’d think “If I put a lot of his recorded speeches into .wav files, and then do some cut&splicing of audio bits, as well as fuzzing up the finished product, and then recording it out on an audio tape, I could come up with some ‘new’ tapes from him.”

And after doing it once or twice, I’d think it wasn’t worth the effort to emulate the voice of a dead man.

I’m thinking he’s still in Afghanistan. In a blown-in cave perhaps, or an unmarked grave. Alive? I don’t think so. He’d have surfaced visibly if he were, to ‘lead the fight against the infidel’ and call for jihad.

J.

Didn’t watch the debates. There was a “CSI” repeat on SpikeTV I hadn’t seen before. But I’m not surprised to hear Bush described as looking “tired.” “President” is a tough job. Even Ronald Reagan had a few strands of gray in his famously dark hair by the end of his two terms. And this is certainly the hardest job Bush has ever had. I expect Kerry would be speaking in short sentences after four years in the Oval Office.

I agree, it is hard to tell with Osama. But if your splicing theory is true, they had tapes of him talking about the invasion of Iraq and the bombing of Madrid to work with … or this tape is an imposter. The CIA said it was “likely” Osama. Who knows? There are mutliple accounts detailing his supposed escape from Tora Bora, even a book. But no solid proof he still lives and breathes.

However, the lack of videos makes some sense to me, even if he is alive. In addition to the fact that he would be nuts if he hadn’t changed his appearance considerably for his role as Most Wanted Man, they also know we’ve even analyzed the rock formations behind him in previous videos, in an attempt to localize him. But my gut tells me another reason there’s no video is that he looks different not just by choice, but due to injury or illness.

But I’m just guessing like everyone else. Including both candidates for President. That’s most reassuring, isn’t it? They don’t have a clue where he is any more than I do.

And you damn sure shouldn’t be voting for me.

Oh, I’m all for contrarian positions in this, I’ve been known to take a few myself. Like you, I’m not truly happy with either side, but listening to Kerry last night acting like he knows the GPS coordinates where bin Laden is hiding was hard to take.

I’ve given up looking at the issues, they’re too muddied by the press and the rampant lying from both sides to matter much any more. I’ve been looking at this from two positions-

First, how have the candidates (not their handlers, the candidates themselves) reacted to unfair assaults? This is a measure of character. When Fahrenheit 9/11 came out (don’t think any debate about how this lacked in factual accuracy), Bush didn’t react. He didn’t call for it to be banned, he didn’t become a screamer. When the Swift Boat Veterans mess started (and I personally doubt that they are totally honest, too), Kerry became a vocal advocate for censorship, but only selectively- just the stuff he didn’t like. Bush’s response was to can all the 427s, Kerry wants to keep his surrogate liars and ban others. Character points for Bush, big time.

The other deciding point for me is that this isn’t about our president, it’s about our country, and how we act when the going gets tough. No matter how we got into this, it’s no secret that if we back out, we’re like the Spanish- weak, and easy targets. If we change leadership at this time, we are sending a clear message to the terrorists- “hurt us some, and we will cave, we will quit, we will run away and whine.”

It’s ugly, it’s bad, but we’re past the point of no return. We can easily make it worse, though.

“But I’m not surprised to hear Bush described as looking ‘tired.’ ‘President’ is a tough job.”

The toughest, no doubt. If you compare the photos of Presidents as they entered office and as they left it, it’s a wonder anyone wants the gig.

But this was, in effect, a job interview, in front of about a hundred million employers. It’s the last place you want to look tired, no matter what you have to do to accomplish that. I guarantee there’s quiet talk in the Bush camp today about how to avoid that in the second and third debates (I bet you won’t see him running all over those states the afternoon before the debate, like you did in Florida). Because I’m far from the only one who has noted his tired tenor.

Jay Nordlinger at the National Review (i.e., not KerryLand) had a reaction very similar to mine that’s well worth reading..

‘President’ is a ‘tough job’? Ummm, yeah, but both Reagan, Bush Senior and Clinton were eloquent four years in. Bush has gone from semi-understandable to downright befuddled in less than four years. If he’s that tired (after taking more vacation time as President than anyone else who’s served in the office), and can’t think straight enough to speak in complete sentences (in answering questions he drilled for at least a week before the debate), maybe it’s time to give the job to someone else.

What concerns me about Kerry is what he is not saying. He says he can get international help that Bush cannot get. But what is he willing to give for that help? It will not come for free. It will cost us something. Is Kerry willing to give up part of our sovereignty as a nation in order to get it? What treaties and agreements will we have to enter? Do we have to join the World Court? What will that mean?
I do not trust France or Germany and, frankly, I have a problem with politicians who are eager to please them. Those countries are not looking out for us and would not be doing so if they agreed to help. They would be helping for other reasons. So I’m waiting for Kerry to spell out what the US has to give up in order to keep his promises.
They talked around that issue last night, but something far more definitive is needed.

Reid – I don’t know, I think I might vote for you because:

1. I know what your stances are, and

2. You admit it when you don’t know something.

You KNOW how rare that is in a politician. (grin) We might not see eye to eye, but we can at least talk about our differences. You look at some boards, you’d expect them to start sniping at each other with real weaponry, and the larger bore the better.

Kevin – I believe that GWB would LOVE to give the job to someone else at this point. But he’s got a killer sense of responsibility. Look at it this way – you’re doing a demanding, vital job that needs the best possible people in it.

And what you’ve got as a possible replacement is a jaded patrician who’s looking on this as the next (possibly last) item on a career checklist, who’s already said he’d take the structures and alliances you’ve sweated blood over and rip them apart because he didn’t like them.

Would you pass over the load? Or keep on, even if it was killing you? Congratulations – you’re Atlas, the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and there’s no damn Heracles in sight to take the load.

Now, maybe Kerry’s got hidden depths, strengths, and statesmanlike qualities that would enable him to do the job, but he’s been pretty good about hiding them for the last 20+ years…

Edudude – I think the cost of such ‘help’ will end up a lot higher than even Kerry expects, and a LOT more than the people will pay. I have no doubt we could get ‘help’ – on their terms. Maybe France wants the Louisiana Territory back?

No, I’m suspicious too. Kerry’s long on promises, short on details, and too darn slick by half.

J.

EduDude: “what is he willing to give for that help? It will not come for free.”

I don’t know, how much do pipe dreams go for these days? I gave them up long ago.

Anyone who’s been paying attention has to know there will be no perceptible increase in “international support,.” i.e. help in Iraq, under a Kerry presidency than there is now. Oh, there might be the appearance of it. Everyone gathering around a table to tut-tut. What do they call it? Oh, yeah, “a summit.” But France and Germany have made it clear they’re not sending Troop One. Russia has its own internal troubles. And there is no one else worth speaking of that has transportable, deployable, and sustainable forces in a size worth sending (well, there’s China … what’re the odds?).

Neither candidate was able to speak the truth about the future of Iraq. Because that truth is probably too ugly to be uttered in this campaign, and both of them have to assure you They’ve Got A Plan!

“You look at some boards, you’d expect them to start sniping at each other with real weaponry, and the larger bore the better.”

Yep, this quote from an anonymous comment thread made me think the same thing. And, Mr. Lawson, before you publicly state you’re willing to vote for me, I have some skeletons you need to meet, over there, in the closet. Take a big stick, and extra pants.

I think JLawson has hit on something here. A write-in campaign. PhotoDude for President!

No matter where you live in our political spectrum of puppy dogs and butterflies, you can surely find a more worthy candidate to waste your vote on, rather than write in PhotoDude for President.

As an Atlantan, I hate to get all Shermanesque, but … if nominated ... well, I guess it’s too late for that. But if you idiots elected me, some other idiot would soon be making plans to assassinate me for the political havoc I would spill in DC. Of course, it’s not exactly politically correct to talk about “heads on spikes” anymore, but I guess we could line Pennsyvania Avenue with voter registration cards symbolically impaled on shishkabob skewers.

The only upside I could see for me is to sell the VP slot to the highest bidder, and live it up on the proceeds while my personal Lee Harvey Oswald got his act together.

Above, when Todd said “We can easily make it worse, though”, this would be a good example of how.

The last time I ran for Vice President, I didn’t even get the vote of my Presidential candidate. (hmmm, where’s the frownie button on this site?)

Let me say that I was fairly well shocked by the debate. Kerry came off much better than I expected and Bush came off much, much worse. If I had just stopped in from the Bizarro World alternative universe and didn’t know which was which, I would’ve assumed that the guy on the left was the President and the guy on the right was a challenger with about a snowball’s chance in hell of getting elected to any office. The Dems better not coast on their laurels, though, because the cranky, tired, blinky-ticcy Bush won’t be there next time.

Bill Maher is very concerned about reprisals against the networks by the FCC. “They showed President Bush up there for 90 minutes and the Emporer Had No Clothes.”

I saw this game late last week, and thought it was pretty funny and coincidentally, Kerry’s doing quite well in its polls! (Maybe because of his performance in the debate??)

www.thepoliticalcircus.com

You choose your candidate and then shoot him out of a cannon! All the points you get turn into votes for him…

Check it out!