Preseidential debate #1 is in the books. The conventional wisdom among the wisemen of the media is that Senator Kerry won the debate. I suppose this is not a surprise due to the fact that Kerry is a highly trained debater from his Ivy League and Swiss prep school days. As Sean Hannity pointed out, it is no wonder that Kerry performed so well in this debate format. After all, when you learn competitive debating, you are required to debate both sides of the issue. I thought that President Bush's style was quite appealing. I've never liked that stiff, National Forensic Association style of debating. I like plain speaking, and I like smirking and visible frustration when your opponent says something you think is ludicrous. But, that's just me.
The flash polls that were conducted in the minutes following the debate indicate that the American people agreed with the media and thought that John Kerry won the debate. However, those same polls indicate that President George W. Bush still holds the same sized lead after the debate as he did going into the debate.
So basically, I still maintain that the debates are fairly useless. We get to see who has better posture and who is taller. But, soundbite responses to predictable questions really don't reveal very much about who will make a better Commander in Chief. I think that I could have answered all of last night's questions on behalf of both candidates.
What couldn't I do for both candidates? Run a hundred meter dash. So, I renew my proposal that next Friday's debate in St. Louis be scrapped in exchange for a decathalon at the Horseshoe in Columbus, OH.
