Bush v Kerry tonight, 9 PM EST
September 30th, 2004 · No Comments
“People tune in these debates for the same
reason they watch NASCAR races on TV,” said Larry Sabato, a University
of Virginia political scientist. “They hope to see a crash. That’s the
whole mystery. And there’s always something.”
Kerry
will fire away at Bush’s leadership on Iraq, while the President will
ridicule Kerry as a wobbly political weathervane prone to wild swings
on vital issues.
“It’s
a test for whether this president is finally going to come clean and be
straight with the American people about what’s going on in Iraq,” said
Kerry running mate Sen. John Edwards [related, bio] (D-N.C.) – foreshadowing a Kerry line of attack.
Trailing
with just over a month to go, Kerry, an agile debater, will be
straining to create a breakthrough moment.
The
senator must convince skeptical voters he would be a strong
commander-in-chief while dispelling the notion he is a flip-flopper.
“Kerry
needs to remember this is not Harvard against Yale,” said Chris
Lehane, former Vice President Al Gore’s spokesman. “You don’t win it
on debate points. People watch these like they watch `Friends’ or other
sit-coms. They want to connect with the person on TV.”
A
more risk-averse Bush, meanwhile, hopes to skate through the debate
without any major stumbles to maintain his lead.
“The president is ready,” said Bush adviser Karen Hughes.
from the Boston Herald (!)
Tags: Presidential politics
