The debate started off kind of strange with both candidates out of sorts. The first exchange was based on Jim Lehrer's (excellent job by him) question of whether John Kerry could do a better job with National Security than GW Bush. Here are some excerpts.....
Kerry:
"I have a better plan for homeland security. I have a better plan to be able to fight the war on terror by strengthening our military, strengthening our intelligence, by going after the financing more authoritatively, by doing what we need to do to rebuild the alliances, by reaching out to the Muslim world, which the president has almost not done, and beginning to isolate the radical Islamic Muslims, not have them isolate the United States of America. "
Bush:
"And, as well, we‘re pursuing a strategy of freedom around the world, because I understand free nations will reject terror. Free nations will answer the hopes and aspirations of their people. Free nations will help us achieve the peace we all want."
Bush's theme would be saying the word 'Free' or 'Freedom' as much as possible. He was ver repetitive.
Lehrer's next question was LOADED: Do you believe the election of Senator Kerry on November the 2nd would increase the chances of the U.S. being hit by another 9/11-type terrorist attack?
Bush:
"No, I don‘t believe it‘s going to happen. I believe I‘m going to win, because the American people know I know how to lead. I‘ve shown the American people I know how to lead."
Nice job of NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION, he continued on his own topic....
"In Iraq, no doubt about it, it‘s tough. It‘s hard work. It‘s incredibly hard. You know why? Because an enemy realizes the stakes. The enemy understands a free Iraq will be a major defeat in their ideology of hatred. That‘s why they‘re fighting so vociferously. "
Although he BUTCHERED the word 'vociferously' into something like...'voccccfesly'.
Then Kerry took the opening of the topic of Iraq and said...
" I believe in being strong and resolute and determined. And I will hunt down and kill the terrorists, wherever they are.
But we also have to be smart, Jim. And smart means not diverting your attention from the real war on terror in Afghanistan against Osama bin Laden and taking if off to Iraq where the 9/11 Commission confirms there was no connection to 9/11 itself and Saddam Hussein, and where the reason for going to war was weapons of mass destruction, not the removal of Saddam Hussein.
This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment. And judgment is what we look for in the president of the United States of America."
APPLAUSE!
Beautiful. The first big beating of Bush. There would be more....
Kerry:
"I‘m proud that important military figures who are supporting me in this race: former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili; just yesterday, General Eisenhower‘s son, General John Eisenhower, endorsed me; General Admiral William Crown; General Tony McBeak, who ran the Air Force war so effectively for his father—all believe I would make a stronger commander in chief. And they believe it because they know I would not take my eye off of the goal: Osama bin Laden.
Unfortunately, he escaped in the mountains of Tora Bora. We had him surrounded. But we didn‘t use American forces, the best trained in the world, to go kill him. The president relied on Afghan warlords and he outsourced that job too. That‘s wrong."
STANDING OVATION! BRILLIANT! Kerry brings outscourcing into a national security debate! He attacked Bush for outscouring the capture of Osama and it was a failure! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE ECONOMIC DEBATE!
Lehrer then had a follow up question...“Colossal misjudgments.” What colossal misjudgments, in your opinion, has President Bush made in these areas?
KERRY: "Well, where do you want me to begin?"
EXCELLENT! The list is long.
Kerry:
"First of all, he made the misjudgment of saying to America that he was going to build a true alliance, that he would exhaust the remedies of the United Nations and go through the inspections.
In fact, he first didn‘t even want to do that. And it wasn‘t until former Secretary of State Jim Baker and General Scowcroft and others pushed publicly and said you‘ve got to go to the U.N., that the president finally changed his mind—his campaign has a word for that—and went to the United Nations.
Now, once there, we could have continued those inspections.
We had Saddam Hussein trapped.
He also promised America that he would go to war as a last resort.
Those words mean something to me, as somebody who has been in combat. “Last resort.” You‘ve got to be able to look in the eyes of families and say to those parents, “I tried to do everything in my power to prevent the loss of your son and daughter.”
I don‘t believe the United States did that.
And we pushed our allies aside.
And so, today, we are 90 percent of the casualties and 90 percent of the cost: $200 billion -- $200 billion that could have been used for health care, for schools, for construction, for prescription drugs for seniors, and it‘s in Iraq.
And Iraq is not even the center of the focus of the war on terror. The center is Afghanistan, where, incidentally, there were more Americans killed last year than the year before; where the opium production is 75 percent of the world‘s opium production; where 40 to 60 percent of the economy of Afghanistan is based on opium; where the elections have been postponed three times.
The president moved the troops, so he‘s got 10 times the number of troops in Iraq than he has in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden is. Does that mean that Saddam Hussein was 10 times more important than Osama bin Laden—than, excuse me, Saddam Hussein more important than Osama bin Laden? I don‘t think so."
Let's see, Kerry brought in the war on drugs by mentioning that this new 'Free' Afghanistan makes all of its money through the Opium trade. Then he asked if Saddam had been 10 times the threat that Bin Laden was!
Bush did have a response....
Bush:"My opponent looked at the same intelligence I looked at and declared in 2002 that Saddam Hussein was a grave threat.
He also said in December of 2003 that anyone who doubts that the world is safer without Saddam Hussein does not have the judgment to be president.
I agree with him. The world is better off without Saddam Hussein. "
Excuse me Mr. President, but I don't believe Mr. Kerry said anything about the world not being better off without Saddam....He said Osama was a bigger threat, He said you let him go because you 'outscorced' the job and since outscourcing NEVER WORKS... it didn't in this case either.
Then Bush pushed on about 'hard work' of being president(maybe that is why he spends so much time vacationing) and how Kerry sends "mixed messages".....
Then Bush's big moment to try and hit Kerry...
Bush:
"My opponent says help is on the way, but what kind of message does it say to our troops in harm‘s way, “wrong war, wrong place, wrong time”? Not a message a commander in chief gives, or this is a “great diversion.”
As well, help is on the way, but it‘s certainly hard to tell it when he voted against the $87-billion supplemental to provide equipment for our troops, and then said he actually did vote for it before he voted against it.
Not what a commander in chief does when you‘re trying to lead troops."
Kerry:
"Well, you know, when I talked about the $87 billion, I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?
I believe that when you know something‘s going wrong, you make it right. That‘s what I learned in Vietnam. When I came back from that war I saw that it was wrong. Some people don‘t like the fact that I stood up to say no, but I did. And that‘s what I did with that vote. "
Great response... Now for the love of GOD will the Bushies quit played that out of context soundbite?
The next question was on the Iraq War and if it was a mistake....
Kerry:
"
And what we need now is a president who understands how to bring these other countries together to recognize their stakes in this. They do have stakes in it. They‘ve always had stakes in it.
The Arab countries have a stake in not having a civil war. The European countries have a stake in not having total disorder on their doorstep.
But this president hasn‘t even held the kind of statesman-like summits that pull people together and get them to invest in those states. In fact, he‘s done the opposite. He pushed them away.
When the Secretary General Kofi Annan offered the United Nations, he said, “No, no, we‘ll go do this alone.”
To save for Halliburton the spoils of the war, they actually issued a memorandum from the Defense Department saying, “If you weren‘t with us in the war, don‘t bother applying for any construction.”
That‘s not a way to invite people. "
Bush:
That‘s totally absurd. Of course, the U.N. was invited in. And we support the U.N. efforts there. They pulled out after Sergio de Mello got killed. But they‘re now back in helping with elections.
My opponent says we didn‘t have any allies in this war. What‘s he say to Tony Blair? What‘s he say to Alexander Kwasniewski of Poland? You can‘t expect to build an alliance when you denigrate the contributions of those who are serving side by side with American troops in Iraq.
Plus, he says the cornerstone of his plan to succeed in Iraq is to call upon nations to serve. So what‘s the message going to be: “Please join us in Iraq. We‘re a grand diversion. Join us for a war that is the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time?”
I know how these people think. I deal with them all the time. I sit down with the world leaders frequently and talk to them on the phone frequently. They‘re not going to follow somebody who says, “This is the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
I know how these people think. I deal with them all the time. I sit down with the world leaders frequently and talk to them on the phone frequently. "
It brings me great joy to see Bush squirm like this. One mention of Halliburton and Bush is suddenly awake AND angry. But he seems to have a speaking disorder because he is constantly repeating himself and Kerry's stump speech.
Lehrer's next question was.... " You have said there was a, quote, “miscalculation,” of what the conditions would be in post-war Iraq. What was the miscalculation, and how did it happen?"
BUSH:
" No, what I said was that, because we achieved such a rapid victory, more of the Saddam loyalists were around. I mean, we thought we‘d whip more of them going in.
But because Tommy Franks did such a great job in planning the operation, we moved rapidly, and a lot of the Baathists and Saddam loyalists laid down their arms and disappeared. I thought they would stay and fight, but they didn‘t.
And now we‘re fighting them now. And it‘s hard work. I understand how hard it is. "
Repeating the 'hard work' mantra(13 times he said 'it's hard work' during the debate) Bush tried to make himself look good but only made himself look worse. If you achieved victory.....Why are you STILL FIGHTING THEM NOW? Isn't that sentence a "mixed message"?
After another exchange of Bush's "mixed message" mantra and Kerry saying he was consistant....Lehrer asked Bush if the war was worth the loss of life. Bush then went into a prepared speech...
Bush:
"You know, every life is precious. Every life matters. You know, my hardest—the hardest part of the job is to know that I committed the troops in harm‘s way and then do the best I can to provide comfort for the loved ones who lost a son or a daughter or a husband or wife.
You know, I think about Missy Johnson. She‘s a fantastic lady I met in Charlotte, North Carolina. She and her son Brian, they came to see me. Her husband PJ got killed. He‘d been in Afghanistan, went to Iraq.
You know, it‘s hard work to try to love her as best as I can, knowing full well that the decision I made caused her loved one to be in harm‘s way.
I told her after we prayed and teared up and laughed some that I thought her husband‘s sacrifice was noble and worthy. Because I understand the stakes of this war on terror. I understand that we must find al Qaeda wherever they hide.
We must deal with threats before they fully materialize. And Saddam Hussein was a threat, and that we must spread liberty because in the long run, the way to defeat hatred and tyranny and oppression is to spread freedom.
Missy understood that. That‘s what she told me her husband understood. So you say, “Was it worth it?” Every life is precious. That‘s what distinguishes us from the enemy. Everybody matters. But I think it‘s worth it, Jim. "
Very touching... Lame. But touching. Mr. Bush you sent her kid to die based on FALSE PRETENSES and you should be IMPEACHED AND REMOVE FROM OFFICE FOR IT!
Lehrer later asked Kerry if he had a timeline for removal of troops from Iraq.....
Kerry:
"The time line that I‘ve set out—and again, I want to correct the president, because he‘s misled again this evening on what I‘ve said. I didn‘t say I would bring troops out in six months. I said, if we do the things that I‘ve set out and we are successful, we could begin to draw the troops down in six months.
And I think a critical component of success in Iraq is being able to convince the Iraqis and the Arab world that the United States doesn‘t have long-term designs on it.
As I understand it, we‘re building some 14 military bases there now, and some people say they‘ve got a rather permanent concept to them.
When you guard the oil ministry, but you don‘t guard the nuclear facilities, the message to a lot of people is maybe, “Wow, maybe they‘re interested in our oil.”
Now, the problem is that they didn‘t think these things through properly. And these are the things you have to think through.
What I want to do is change the dynamics on the ground. And you have to do that by beginning to not back off of the Fallujahs and other places, and send the wrong message to the terrorists. You have to close the borders.
You‘ve got to show you‘re serious in that regard. But you‘ve also got to show that you are prepared to bring the rest of the world in and share the stakes.
I will make a flat statement: The United States of America has no long-term designs on staying in Iraq."
Very Tough and thorough beating of the President's policies.
Bush:
"There are 100,000 troops trained, police, guard, special units, border patrol. There‘s going to be 125,000 trained by the end of this year. Yes, we‘re getting the job done. It‘s hard work. Everybody knows it‘s hard work, because there‘s a determined enemy that‘s trying to defeat us.
Now, my opponent says he‘s going to try to change the dynamics on the ground. Well, Prime Minister Allawi was here. He is the leader of that country. He‘s a brave, brave man. When he came, after giving a speech to the Congress, my opponent questioned his credibility.
You can‘t change the dynamics on the ground if you‘ve criticized the brave leader of Iraq.
One of his campaign people alleged that Prime Minister Allawi was like a puppet. That‘s no way to treat somebody who‘s courageous and brave, that is trying to lead his country forward.
The way to make sure that we succeed is to send consistent, sound messages to the Iraqi people that when we give our word, we will keep our word, that we stand with you, that we believe you want to be free. And I do."
I am sorry but I saw that speech and the "brave leader of Iraq" was reading the GW Bush stump speech. He IS a puppet. An unelected puppet put in place by GW Bush's Puppet government of Iraq. Secondly, even he said they only had "50000" trained military we he spoke to congress. Maybe you should have actually listened to him instead of expecting him to just read from your que cards!
Kerry:
"Now, Prime Minister Allawi came here, and he said the terrorists are pouring over the border. That‘s Allawi‘s assessment.
The national intelligence assessment that was given to the president in July said, best-case scenario, more of the same of what we see today; worst-case scenario, civil war.
I can do better."
Again very tough!
Lehrer's next question was: "Does the Iraq experience make it more likely or less likely that you would take the United States into another preemptive military action?"
I couldn't wait to see Bush answer this one....
Bush:
" I would hope I never have to. I understand how hard it is to commit troops. Never wanted to commit troops. When I was running—when we had the debate in 2000, never dreamt I‘d be doing that.
But the enemy attacked us, Jim, and I have a solemn duty to protect the American people, to do everything I can to protect us.
I think that by speaking clearly and doing what we say and not sending mixed messages, it is less likely we‘ll ever have to use troops.
But a president must always be willing to use troops. It must—as a last resort.
I was hopeful diplomacy would work in Iraq. It was falling apart. There was no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein was hoping that the world would turn a blind eye.
And if he had been in power, in other words, if we would have said, “Let the inspectors work, or let‘s, you know, hope to talk him out. Maybe an 18th resolution would work,” he would have been stronger and tougher, and the world would have been a lot worse off. There‘s just no doubt in my mind we would rue the day, had Saddam Hussein been in power.
So we use diplomacy every chance we get, believe me. And I would hope to never have to use force.
But by speaking clearly and sending messages that we mean what we say, we‘ve affected the world in a positive way. "
Kerry's answer was the biggest highlight of the speech....
" Jim, the president just said something extraordinarily revealing and frankly very important in this debate. In answer to your question about Iraq and sending people into Iraq, he just said, “The enemy attacked us.”
Saddam Hussein didn‘t attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us. al Qaeda attacked us. And when we had Osama bin Laden cornered in the mountains of Tora Bora, 1,000 of his cohorts with him in those mountains. With the American military forces nearby and in the field, we didn‘t use the best trained troops in the world to go kill the world‘s number one criminal and terrorist.
They outsourced the job to Afghan warlords, who only a week earlier had been on the other side fighting against us, neither of whom trusted each other.
That‘s the enemy that attacked us. That‘s the enemy that was allowed to walk out of those mountains. That‘s the enemy that is now in 60 countries, with stronger recruits.
He also said Saddam Hussein would have been stronger. That is just factually incorrect. Two-thirds of the country was a no-fly zone when we started this war. We would have had sanctions. We would have had the U.N. inspectors. Saddam Hussein would have been continually weakening.
If the president had shown the patience to go through another round of resolution, to sit down with those leaders, say, “What do you need, what do you need now, how much more will it take to get you to join us?” we‘d be in a stronger place today."
Bush:
"First of all, of course I know Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that. "
Bush was obviously irritated that he had just been called out for trying to connect Saddam and 9-11 together AGAIN. THERE IS NO CONNECTION GEORGE!
In all I thought it was a great debate for John Kerry. 1 down, 2 to go.
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