So the debates were tonight... and Kerry kicked ass. I don't care what you think. You'd have to be blind and deaf to believe that Bush actually debated better. Kerry tore him apart (again) and spit him out. The only problem I have with them is that Bush keeps talking about a bunch of more or less "sore points," where he's totally wildly off base, and Kerry doesn't hit him where it hurts. Here are some examples.
     $87 Billion war appropriation. Bush says that Kerry is "against" it and that he filp-flopped on whether he voted for it. Kerry responds with saying he "misspoke." What Kerry should say: "Mr. Bush, you obviously need a lesson in American legislature. You requested $87 Billion from us, and there were several proposals put forward that would have done just that. I voted for one which would have allocated the money you requested from current funds and against the one that put all $87 billion directly into the federal defecit. I've always supported our troops, and I used my vote to try to make sure that the debt wouldn't be passed along to our children."
     Bush: "We all believed there were WMD's, and Senator Kerry voted for the war because he believed there were WMD's." How Kerry should respond: "As the saying goes, Mr. President, the buck stops here. When you stand before the nation and guarantee that there are WMD's in Iraq, we take you on your word. And, instead of taking responsibility for your word, you immediately turned around and blamed faulty intelligence. Mr. President, how can we ever take you at your word again?"
     Bush: "Mr. Kerry was for the war. He voted for the war. And now, he's the anti-war candidate. How Iraq respect a President who doesn't even think we should be there?"What Kerry should say: "I was for the war when you led us to believe that there were WMD's in Iraq that posed an immediate threat to the US. Now that I know that the intelligence you swore by was totally wrong, I can see that the decision to go to war was wrong. And as far as Iraqis supporting a President who doesn't want our troops there, i think that they'll be pleased to see someone come in who wants the same thing they want: an expedient return to self governance and self policing."
     Bush: "Mr. Kerry is the most liberal Senator, even beating out Ted Kennedy." How Kerry can zing Bush: "A liberal tends to tax more, and spend more, whereas a conservative tends to tax less and spend less. I've proposed a cut in taxes for 80% of American tax payers, and will put an end to the superflous spending of the Bush administration. Does that sound liberal to you? One thing is certain, though. If you cut taxes and increase spending you end up with the largest federal deficit in history. It's too bad our President hasn't been able to figure out the math on that one yet."
     There are plenty more, and I'll scan through a transcript later to try to pick some out. Basically, it comes down to this: Kerry is trying to defend himself on things that don't need defending. His stances on the war appropriation, changing his stance on the war, and voting record are all very good and don't need excuses or spin. If people are made aware of how things actually work, then they'll probably side with him more on these issues.
     PS: Harlynne asked about the $87 billion thing a month or so ago and I basically tried to explain it. I just need to correct a minor factual error. After the first version was voted down, they didn't re-tool it and then put it back up for vote. Apparently, there were several versions drafted simultaneously and then they were put up for vote one-by-one until one of them passed. Still, the only difference in the two that actually made it to vote was the source of the $87 billion. The ammount and method of distributing the money was apparently identical (as one was based off the other).