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Trail Tales: What's That Face? Fox News — Permalink The election is 32 days away and the first presidential debate is over. One down and two more to go between President Bush (search) and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (search). What's That Face? | |
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Avedon Carol: Shortly after the debate, Josh Marshall caught Fox making up Kerry quotes in one of their stories. Steve Soto: And Fox actually did retract the phony story they ran today about comments Kerry never made at an appearance in Florida,... Tim Dunlop: True colours — So Fox News has been caught out putting lies about John Kerry on their website and has finally issued a... |
Joe Carter: Fox News apologized, though, and claimed that "the item was based on a reporter's partial script that had been written in jest and should not have been posted or broadcast." Glenn Reynolds: A LESSON FOR CBS: Fox News published bogus Kerry quotes earlier today, and has already retracted and apologized. Ed Cone: Fox News admits: sometimes we just make stuff up to make Kerry look bad. Lots more from Josh Marshall. |
| Also: Kos, Ogged @Unfogged, Byron L, Noam Alaska, Skippy, Josh Marshall | |
Bush's state headquarters for re-election burglarized By / Seattle Times — Permalink The Washington state headquarters for the president's re-election campaign was broken into last night, and police are investigating the theft of three computers from the Bellevue office. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: But this is most peculiar: "The Washington state headquarters for the president's re-election campaign was broken into... Bird Dog: Second-Rate Burglary in Bellevue, WA — Funny business in Washington State: [snipped quote] The only items stolen were... Charles Johnson: Washington State Bush Headquarters Burglarized — Bush's state headquarters for re-election burglarized. (Hat tip: Dave.) |
Orrin Judd: Bush's state headquarters for re-election burglarized (David Postman, 10/01/04, Seattle Times) "The Washington state... Hindrocket: Crime Wave in Seattle — Reader Dave Mendoza pointed out this article in the Seattle Times about a burglary at the... Stefan Sharkansky: Democrat Campaign Strategy — "Bush's state headquarters for re-election burglarized" "The Washington state... |
Transcript of presidential debate Des Moines Register — Permalink LEHRER: Good evening from the University of Miami Convocation Center in Coral Gables, Florida. I'm Jim LEHRER of The NewsHour on PBS. And I welcome you to the first of the 2004 presidential debates between President George W. Bush, the Republican nominee, and Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee. | |
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FrancoAlemán: I SAW the debate last night (please, some applause, it was 3am over here!) and I think that Kerry was better than... Jesse Taylor: Flip Flippity Doo — If you want to know how poorly Bush did and how well Kerry turned the flip-flopper idea on its... Arthur Chrenkoff: Kerry wrong on containment — John Kerry argued during the debate that war was not necessary as Iraq could have been... |
Tim Blair: As John Kerry mentioned during the debate: "It was principally the United States, the America and Great Britain and one or two others. Ed Cone: Debate transcript. Spin is everywhere. Roll your own. Stefan Sharkansky: Inkeherrynce on Iraq — Here are some of the positions about Iraq that Kerry held simultaneously during the debate (All... |
| Also: Lorie Byrd, Jan Haugland, Joe Gandelman, Norbizness, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Stuart Buck, Jonah Goldberg, Glenn Reynolds, James Joyner | |
Kerry Wins Debate By / Gallup — Permalink PRINCETON, NJ — John Kerry won the debate Thursday night, 53% to 37%, according to a random sample of 615 registered voters who watched the event. Almost half of the viewers said they felt more favorable about the senator because of the debate, and 60% said Kerry expressed himself more clearly than did President Bush. | |
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C. D. Harris: The other internals tend toward President Bush, as well, for the most part (and note the similarity of so many of them to the results of the Bush/Gore debates - interesting, that). Steve M.: Before it disappears into subscribers-only land, I want to direct you to page 2 of Gallup.com's "Kerry Wins Debate" page. James Frederick Dwight: Gallup's results: ***Expressed himself more clearly Bush 32/Kerry 60 ***Had a good understanding of the issues 41/41... |
Tom Smith: People think Kerry won debate; want him to be Senator — Gallup poll suggests people think Kerry is the better debator, but Bush the better wartime president. Hindrocket: UPDATE: A reader pointed us to this post-debate Gallup poll that illustrates exactly what I was trying to get at. Orrin Judd: MORE: Gallup posted the numbers too. |
| Also: KJL, Dean Esmay, Bill @INDCJournal | |
Transcript of the Candidates' First Debate in the Presidential Campaign NYT — Permalink I agree with my opponent that we shouldn't be committing troops. That we ought to be working with the African Union to do so. Precisely what we did in Liberia. We helped stabilize the situation with some troops. And when the African Union came we moved them out. | |
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Kevin Hayden: Debate Review (Cross-posted at Polemic Propaganda) Now that the transcript is available, let's go through some of Bush's key quotes. Fred Clark: I was pleasantly surprised by last night's debate and how substantive it turned out to be. (Here is the transcript.) Josh Marshall: Another point that the Democrats should hit on mercilessly: "He's isolated." That might well be an apt description of the president himself. |
Andrew Sullivan: QUOTE OF THE DAY: [snipped quote] - president George W. Bush. Reassured that he's on top of things in Iraq? Me neither. Richard TPD: Hard bush — From last night [snipped quote] Hmmmm. I thought Osama Bin Laden attacked us, not Saddam Hussein. Details. Orrin Judd: THE SENATOR'S FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM: Transcript of the Candidates' First Debate in the Presidential Campaign (09/30/04)... |
| Also: Chris Mooney, Atrios, Ann Althouse, Jay Rosen, Greg Ransom, James Joyner | |
Did Kerry write own report of disputed clash? By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink A faded 35-year-old operations order recovered from the Naval Historical Center in Washington bears directly on the ongoing dispute between Sen. John Kerry and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth about who wrote the key after-action report that ended Kerry's service in Vietnam. | |
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ArchPundit: But to add Thomas Lipscomb to the fray is sad given the many columnists the Sun-Times has, they have brought in a clown... Greg Ransom: THE EVIDENCE IS IN — John Kerry wrote the Bay Hap River after action report. Tom Maguire: Thomas Lipscomb On Kerry's Bronze Star — Thomas Lipscomb argues that John Kerry wrote the after-action report that has... |
McQ: Recently uncovered Navy Report Supports Swift Vets Contention — A report from the Naval archives detailing the incident... Captain Ed: Lipscomb: Kerry Wrote After-Action Report For Bronze Star — Thomas Lipscomb writes a fascinating article about his... Glenn Reynolds: SINCE KERRY REPEATEDLY INVOKED VIETNAM LAST NIGHT, I guess that stories like this one are fair game. |
American Bar Association Statement on 'Extraordinary Rendition' Provisions of HR 10 U.S. Newswire — Permalink CHICAGO, Sept. 30 /U.S. Newswire/ — Following is a statement of Robert J. Grey Jr., president, American Bar Association, regarding 'extraordinary rendition' provisions of HR 10: | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: ABA Slams Proposed Extraordinary Renditon Bill — The American Bar Association issued this statement today in opposition... Katherine R: The American Bar Association opposes it: "The American Bar Association objects strongly to the inclusion of provisions... |
Medium Lobster: This critical new tool for our justice system has been condemned by the American Bar Association, the 9/11 commission, and the United States Congress of Catholic Bishops. |
Supreme Court justice gets racy on talk circuit By / AP — Permalink (10-01) 12:40 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's recent speeches have ventured into some surprising territory, with the staunchly conservative father of nine joking about sexual orgies. | |
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Joe Carter: Update: It turns out that Scalia has made this remark before but had only claimed that he was willing to accept such an argument, not that he personally endorsed such behavior. Ann Althouse: UPDATE: The AP version of the story sledgehammers that Scalia was, as indicated above, being jocose. James Joyner: Update (1751): Supreme Court justice gets racy on talk circuit (SF Chronicle - AP) "Supreme Court Justice Antonin... |
Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Many people are angrily emailing that Scalia was joking. (Some send this story which says so). Well, yeah, that's what I figured. Clayton Cramer: UPDATE 3: A little simpler explanation from AP: "He made a similar remark in a speech Sept. 20 in Washington, to... |
Transcript: First Presidential Debate WaPo — Permalink Following is the transcript of the presidential debate between President Bush (R) and Sen. John F. Kerry (D). The moderator of the nationally televised debate was Jim Lehrer of PBS. LEHRER: Good evening from the University of Miami Convocation Center in Coral Gables, Florida. | |
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William J. Dyer: So it was that watching last night's presidential debate between Sen. John F. Kerry and President George W. Bush, this... Avedon Carol: Up yours, Matt Drudge. The Washington Post has the debate transcript here. Hugh Hewitt: The Tale of the Tape: From the transcript of the debate at the Washington Post: "LEHRER: Are Americans now dying in Iraq for a mistake? |
Von @ObsidianWings: (Transcript, courtesy of the Washington Post.) I'm hardly a Kerry-tine, but this truly irks me. Eugene Oregon: Kerry and Bush "discussed" Darfur during last night's debate "LEHRER: Senator Kerry, you mentioned Darfur, the Darfur region of Sudan. David Neiwert: On message — I especially noted one little bit of evasion from Mr. Bush in tonight's debate: LEHRER: New question, Mr. President, two minutes. |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, Tom Maguire, Steve Bainbridge, Ken Masugi, James Joyner, Daniel Drezner | |
Don't Shoot the Messenger . . . NRO — Permalink Don't shoot the messenger. I thought Kerry did very, very well; and I thought Bush did poorly — much worse than he is capable of doing. Listen: If I were just a normal guy — not Joe Political Junkie — I would vote for Kerry. On the basis of that debate, I would. | |
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Brian Linse: Dead Messenger — Via Tbogg, Jay Nordlinger at NRO gives a "grim assessment" of Bush's debate performance. Andrew Sullivan: MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN: Here's Jay Nordlinger, an honest, civilized guy, telling his fellow Kool-Aiders the truth: ... Matthew Yglesias: NRO's Jay Nordlinger, after pleading with his readers not to "kill the messenger," just up and admits that Bush lost. |
Damian Penny: Nordlinger: Kerry won — Even Jay Nordlinger, who says he probably wants to see Bush re-elected more than Bush does,... Betsy Newmark: Well, if you want to be depressed, read Jay Nordlinger on how much better he thinks Kerry was than Bush. Oliver Willis: Jay Nordlinger @ National Review: "Listen: If I were just a normal guy — not Joe Political Junkie — I would vote for Kerry." |
| Also: Howard Kurtz, Tbogg, Joe Gandelman | |
Scoring the Debate ABCNEWS — Permalink Sept. 30, 2004 — John Kerry won the first debate and with it a shot at reinvigorating his campaign for the presidency. But in the first blush, vote preferences among viewers were unmoved. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: ANOTHER UPDATE: And more evidence that at least in the short term, this debate failed to change the dynamics of a polarized electorate. Steve M.: (Sorry — I'm a bit spooked by ABC's snap poll, which shows that voters gave a clear debate edge to Kerry but also shows virtually no movement in presidential preference.) Kevin Hayden: Jon Meacham and Chris Matthews said it was a good debate. — ABC Viewers Poll: Kerry 45% Bush 36 Tie 17 |
Greg @BeggingToDiffer: But. This ABC News poll is telling: Who Won? Jon Henke: Clearly, the polls immediately following the debate—which account for genuine impressions of the debate, and not... Jan Haugland: A Gallup poll reported by ABCNews says Kerry thought 45% won against Bush with 37% and 17% thinking it was a tie. |
| Also: EDM Staff, Taegan Goddard, Andrew D, Kevin Drum, Joe Gandelman | |
Kerry Takes Round 1 By / Slate — Permalink President George W. Bush came to tonight's debate with the buzzwords that have served him so well in this campaign so far: "strong," "steadfast," "resolute," "keeping our word," "never waver," "stay on the offensive," "lead," "we cannot send mixed messages." | |
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Mark Kleiman: He'll be going to the UN next — As already noted here, it turns out to be false that negotiating separately with North... Jon Henke: Global Pop Quiz — In a hit-and-miss Slate column, Fred Kaplan writes one of the most politically tone-deaf things we'll see all year. DeLong: Far from being opposed to two-power talks in Korea, the other participants in the six-power talks want us to do so |
Tom Maguire: Fred Kaplan Sure Does Like John Kerry — Fred Kaplan won't let Kerry's absurdities diminsh his ardor. Ogged @Unfogged: Fred Kaplan also notes in today's Slate, Point for Kerry. |
Orgies are the way to ease social tensions, claims US judge Guardian — Permalink He is the conservative bastion of the US supreme court, a favourite of President Bush, and a hunting partner of the vice-president. He has argued vociferously against abortion rights, and in favour of anti-sodomy laws. | |
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Tom Smith: To be fair, if it turns out that Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Antonin Scalia really did... Glenn Reynolds: JOYCELYN ELDERS GOT NOTHIN' ON THIS BABY: [snipped quote] I wonder why he didn't mention this in the confirmation hearings? Clayton Cramer: The Social Conservative End of the Supreme Court Bench Speaks — At least, two different newspapers are reporting this: ... |
Dan Alban: Scalia, Pro-Orgy? Ann Althouse: Justice Scalia is quite good at getting press coverage, isn't he? James Joyner: Scalia: Orgies Ought to be Encouraged — Orgies are the way to ease social tensions, claims US judge (Guardian) "He is... |
| Also: Mike Hendrix, Ed Driscoll | |
Not Enough By / Weekly Standard — Permalink TALKING TO DEMOCRATS prior to last night, what you heard were complaints about how bad John Kerry was as a presidential candidate. The good news for Kerry is that on the basis of his solid performance in the first nationally televised debate with President Bush, the griping among Democrats is likely to cease. | |
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David Adesnik: Sticking with my position from last night, I'm going to disagree with Cohn and agree with ex-TNR man Fred Barnes, who... James Joyner: Fred Barnes argues that Kerry did well but not well enough: "Sure, Democrats are bound to be more excited about the... Tom Maguire: UPDATE 2: Someone out there is bound to agree with me. I'll take Fred Barnes. |
KJL: Hugh Hewitt: "Disaster for Kerry" Fred Barnes: Won't Change Race Dynamics Lilleks: " Summits are convened not to solve... Howard Kurtz: Yes, but it doesn't matter, says the Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes: "The good news for Kerry is that on the basis of... |
ACLU Blasts Justice Department's Attempts to Manipulate Truth About Patriot Act Ruling ACLU — Permalink NEW YORK - In what appears to be a concerted campaign to mislead the American public, the Department of Justice and some of its Republican allies in Congress are attempting to minimize the impact of landmark ruling this week against so-called National Security Letters and the provision of the Patriot Act that broadened their use by the FBI. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: In response to Professor Kerr's debunking—and the debunking of others, the ACLU then offers up this press release which... Ramesh Ponnuru: THE ACLU — Having spun much of the press on the claim that part of the Patriot Act was struck down in court the other... |
Orin Kerr: With another press release: [snipped quote] So wait— there is an alleged campaign to mislead the American people because... |
America's Lost Respect By / NYT — Permalink "As a result of the American military," President Bush declared last week, "the Taliban is no longer in existence." It's unclear whether Mr. Bush misspoke, or whether he really is that clueless. | |
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H.D. Miller: Nostradamus, Jr. Here's crazy old Paul Krugman making a prediction in today's New York Times. Zachary Roth: And, as ABC put it, "and there are serious questions about how trained they are, and how prepared they are to provide security." Pessimist @LeftCoaster: America's Lost Respect "It's unclear whether Mr. Bush misspoke, or whether he really is that clueless. |
Barbara O'Brien: Paul Krugman: America's Lost Respect | bar.jpg Tom Maguire: Too Busy Being Shrill To Be Funny — Paul Krugman is too busy screaming to notice the easy lay-up: As a result of the... The Farmer: See: America's Lost Respect, Paul Krugman, October 1, 2004. |
JUDGING THE DEBATE: A WASTED NIGHT By / New York Post — Permalink IT'S a mark of how high- toned last night's debate was that the only real howler came when John Kerry called the Moscow headquarters of the KGB "Treblinka," which was a Nazi concentration camp, rather than by its actual name, "Lubyanka." | |
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Michelle Malkin: In the end, normal non-pundits won't be swayed one way or the other because Bush said "uh" too many times—or, for that... KJL: AROUND TOWN: ON DEBATE AND MORE — David Yepsen: "Narrow Victory" for Kerry John Podhoretz: Booooooorrrring. |
Betsy Newmark: John Podheretz says that the debate won't hurt Bush since he's ahead and the debate was actually rather boring. Hugh Hewitt: The best is John Podhoretz, as John picked up on Kerry's relapse into the moral equivalence politics of the Reagan years. |
Giddy Democrats Celebrate Kerry By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Gleeful Democrats, some almost giddy with relief after weeks of carping within the party over their presidential campaign, on Friday trumpeted Sen. John Kerry 's debate performance as vindication of his ability to take on the job of commander in chief. | |
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H.D. Miller: Three Yards, And A Cloud of Dust — Looks like Democrats are breaking out the champagne and making plans for a Senator Lockjaw's triumphant entry into Washington D.C. come January. Jeff A. Taylor: "Last night the president looked very uncomfortable answering questions," is how Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) put it, and I... |
Allah: Twenty-four hours later, the Dems — and Al Jazeera — can't contain their excitement. It's a race again! |
A Win for Kerry By / Newsweek — Permalink Oct. 1 - George W. Bush didn't look at his watch the way his father famously did during a presidential debate, but he might as well have. The president had the air of a man who couldn't bother being there. | |
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Steve Gilliard: Naked Emperor — Doh A Win for Kerry The first debate was reality TV, and it was not kind to Bush. Kos: More debate chatter — From Eleanor Clift at Newsweek: [snipped quote] Two of the best paragraphs anywhere on the debate |
Skippy: clift notes eleanor clift sums up last night's debate rather handily on msnbc: [snipped quote] (thanks and a tip of the bush kangaroo hat to daily kos for the link!) |
Scenes From Spin Alley By / Slate — Permalink MIAMI—Karl Rove must have known things didn't go well when the New York Post asked him whether this was the worst debate of President Bush's life. No, Rove insisted. This was one of the president's best debates, and one of John Kerry's worst. | |
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Sam Rosenfeld: As Chris Suellentrop already puts it in his Slate report from Spin Alley, "Over and over again, Bush surrogates were asked about the president's demeanor. Jeanne D'Arc: My favorite anecdote of the day: Karl Rove must have known things didn't go well when the New York Post asked him whether this was the worst debate of President Bush's life. |
Joe Gandelman: Slate's Chris Suellentrop offers Scenes from Spin Alley and it makes you think of a dingy alley with starving alley cats... Taegan Goddard: Chris Suellentrop has more from Spin Alley: "Karl Rove must have known things didn't go well when the New York Post... |
After "make-or-break" buildup, CNN commentators downplayed debates' significance Media Matters for America — Permalink In the buildup to the first presidential debate, some CNN commentators called the event "a decisive moment"; a "key opportunity" for Senator John Kerry; "the most important night of John Kerry's presidential campaign"; a chance for the candidates to win "the very big prize" of undecided voters; or "a pivotal moment." | |
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John Emerson: We have to keep reminding people Mehlman's Bush spin sabotaged (by Atrios, probably) mehlman Reuters relays Bush spin... Atrios: Before and After — The pre- and post- debate spin. |
Kevin Raybould: When Kerry won the debate, though, suddenly things changed ... |
Kerry vs. the Format, Bush vs. His Temper By / WaPo — Permalink CORAL GABLES, Fla., Sept. 30 — President Bush has thrown Sen. John F. Kerry's words back on him during nearly every speech of the campaign, but he rocked back in irritation during the first presidential debate Thursday night when the Massachusetts senator did the same thing to him. | |
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Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: According to the Washington Post, veering out of control Presidential temper was indeed what was on display — a... Steve M.: ... Good — although the first half of the oh-gosh-we'd-better-make- sure-it's-balanced headline — "Kerry vs. the... Josh Marshall: There was an air of prickliness and entitlement about the president that Kerry's surrogates should play up too. |
David Allan Pell: Face Plant — The award for best spinner's line of the post-debate goes out to Karen Hughes who explained the damaging... Jack Cluth: The Prevaricator-in-Chief takes a well-deserved drubbing — Bush Sees a Safer America, While Kerry Sees a 'Colossal... Steve Soto: Dan Balz, Washington Post The Post's Mike Allen noted that Kerry got Bush unnerved, something that Rove has worked hard to avoid for years. |
Candidates Most Telling When They Aren't Talking By / NYT — Permalink When President Bush leaned over his lectern and talked directly into the camera, he had the same firm, squared-off look he brings to a presidential address from the Oval Office. | |
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Steve Gilliard: Candidates Most Telling When They Aren't Talking By ALESSANDRA STANLEY Published: October 1, 2004 [snipped quote] This is... James Frederick Dwight: Correspondent Alessandra Stanley apparently drew the short lot; she's the one who had to humiliate herself by writing stuff like this: "(Kerry) moved gracefully. Steve Soto: The NYT's Alessandra Stanley calls it one for Kerry. A USA Today focus group thought Kerry won overwhelmingly. |
Orrin Judd: HE'S A PEEVER: Candidates Most Telling When They Aren't Talking (ALESSANDRA STANLEY, 10/01/04, NY Times) "When... Glenn Reynolds: MEMO TO THE NEW YORK TIMES: This comparison won't help Kerry: [snipped quote] (Via the vigilant SoxBlog, where many... |
Out of the Question By / Slate — Permalink How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? That's what it all comes down to—this debate, this war, this election. For all the differences between Iraq and Vietnam, the awful question John Kerry posed to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971 is the same one hanging over us now. | |
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Atrios: I know Saletan is using a literary device here, with "we" being generic "Amurikan people," but still, what the hell? Julian Sanchez: The Politics of Cruelty — As usual, Will Saletan has some good rhetorical analysis from last night's debate. |
Barbara O'Brien: The BBC: Reactions favor Kerry Eric Boehlert: Pundit Gut Reaction Roundup Peter Canellos, Boston Globe: Kerry wins on... Laura Rozen: Check out Saletan while you're at it: "How can we ask our troops to die for a mistake? We can't. . . Bush can't imagine it, either. |
See Bush Debate. See Him Squirm By / Business Week — Permalink Watching George W. Bush on the hot seat is painful. When he gets that fawn-in-the-deerjacker's-light look, you feel for the guy. Publicly at least, he's not a mean-spirited man. | |
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Brian Linse: Also, check out James Wolcott, and BuisnessWeek Online. [via Atrios] Skippy: even business week online thought awol sucked from ciro scotti's column on business week online: "but in coral gables,... |
Barbara O'Brien: Update — More more great links Sidney Blumenthal: Faith versus Reason Ciro Scotti, Business Week: Elmer Befuddled Joyce McGreevy: "He forgot Poland, Jim Bob!" |
Keeping Score By / Weekly Standard — Permalink HOW DID Bush and Kerry do tonight? A mixed bag for both. Let's look at the scorecard. Round 1: How will Kerry make America safer? Kerry says he'll use alliances and won't upset Muslims around the world. Bush stumbles before giving the numbers of al Qaeda killed and captured. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Here's Jonathan Last's scoring of the debate. Hugh Hewitt: The shift is already underway as folks like Jonathan Last realizing that Bush was "ruthlessly on message," David Frum... |
Matthew Yglesias: Jonathan Last scores the debate as a 9 to 9 tie in an 18-round scoring system that involves awarding Bush one point for... The Big Trunk: Two more scorecards — Two somewhat contrasting scorecards evaluating last night's debate are worthy supplements to... |
Europe Flattered, Unnerved by Kerry Overtures By / Reuters — Permalink BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. presidential contender John Kerry will have won yet more admirers in Europe with his pledge during a campaign debate to restore alliances damaged by the transatlantic split over the Iraq war. | |
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Allah: The Eurotrash also enjoyed Waffles last night but the more astute among them recognize a distinct downside to a Kerry... |
Orrin Judd: VENUS GETS THE VAPORS: Europe Flattered, Unnerved by Kerry Overtures (Mark John, 10/01/04, Reuters) [snipped quote] They always find some way to ignore those calls. |
Transcript: Who could best prevent another 9/11? CNN — Permalink CORAL GABLES, Florida (CNN) — Editor's note: CNN.com is working on a full transcript of the entire presidential debate. It is a work in progress which will be separated by question. The following is a part one of the first debate between President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry at the University of Miami. | |
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Bill Hobbs: I didn't watch it, and so I'm having to read the transcript. I've heard the Kerry campaign plans to release a video showing Bush's facial expressions. Natasha @PacificViews: CNN transcript here. Chris Gruber: Debate Transcripts Online Now — Get your debate transcripts here: Part 1 and Part 2. |
Joe Gandelman: You could sum up the first Presidential debate tonight as The Professorial Prosecutor versus the Convinced And Slightly Weary Incumbent. Magpie @PacificViews: What did you think? More: If you missed the debate, CNN is gradually posting a complete transcript, which begins here. James Joyner: Bush-Kerry Debate Roundup — I'll be watching the debate elsewhere this evening and may or may not do any live blogging of it. |
Few Factual Errors, but Truth Got Stretched at Times WaPo — Permalink President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry made few major factual errors in last night's debate, though on occasion they stretched the truth or left out inconvenient facts — or may have confused viewers as they spoke in policy shorthand. | |
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Zachary Roth: The Washington Post was among the most aggressive of the print outlets in fact-checking the candidates. Avedon Carol: They have a straight fact-checking article here. |
David Allan Pell: Truth Be Told — There were a few misstatements and truth stretches during the debate. |
Uncommitted Voters Give Kerry Nod CBS News — Permalink (CBS) Uncommitted voters who watched Thursday night's presidential debate said John Kerry won the debate against President Bush, and most of those voters improved their opinion about the Democratic candidate because of the debate, according to a CBS News poll. | |
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Deacon: More early returns — A CBS poll of uncommitted voters who watched the debate appears at first glance to be more... Andrew D: CBS News polled only undecided voters, and Kerry kicked ass. 43% said Kerry, 28% said Bush and 29% said it was a tie. |
EDM Staff: Knowledge Networks for CBS News Kerry beat Bush 45-36 percent among debate viewers, with 17 for tie. |
The Supreme Court's Excessive Secrecy: Why It Isn't Merited By / FindLaw's Writ — Permalink In the October issue of Vanity Fair magazine, David Margolick offers a deeply troubling expose of how the Supreme Court actually decided Bush v. Gore. (In that notorious 2000 decision, as readers will doubtless recall, five conservative justices stopped the vote recount in Florida and thereby handed the presidency to George W. Bush.) | |
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Will Baude: Right Argument, Wrong Controversy — Via Fitz-Hume, I see that Ed Lazarus has a piece up at Findlaw defending the Vanity... Steve Dillard: Edward Lazarus has an opinion piece over at FindLaw defending the actions of the oath-breaking lefty law clerks who... |
Jonathan H. Adler: Now he's defending the group of Supreme Court clerks who (anonymously) broke their oaths to talk to Vanity Fair about Bush v. Gore. |
Bin Laden Deputy Purportedly Seeks Strikes By / AP — Permalink DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - An audio tape purportedly released by Osama bin Laden's deputy calls for attacks on U.S. and British interests everywhere, according to a broadcast Friday by Al-Jazeera television. | |
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John Resnick: Bin Laden Deputy Purportedly Seeks Strikes (TAREK AL-ISSAWI, 10/1/04, AP) [snipped quote] Even our enemies recognize the... Mark Goldberg: According to the Associated Press, Al-Jazeera just got their hands on a new al-Qaeda audio tape. |
Tully @Centerfield: With the 9/11 anniversary release of a videotape featuring #2 Al Qaeda figure Ayman al-Zawahri, and today's release of... |
Bush And Kerry Clash On Iraq CBS News — Permalink (CBS/AP) In the first of three crucial debates, Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush of a "colossal error in judgment" by ordering the invasion of Iraq. "The world is better off without Saddam Hussein," the president shot back, adding his rival once said so himself. | |
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Jan Haugland: CBS News polled 200 uncommited voters, and among them 43% handed the debate victory to Kerry, 28% to Bush and 29% called it a tie. Kevin Drum: CNN/USA Today/Gallup has Kerry the winner 53%-37%. A CBS poll of uncommitted voters shows Kerry winning 43%-28%. |
Taegan Goddard: Kerry was the winner 45% to 36%. A CBS News instant poll of uncommitted voters found Kerry won 43% to 28%. Joe Gandelman: A CBS News interactive poll of 200 uncommitted voters gave the debate to John Kerry. |
ONE WINNER ON SUBSTANCE, ANOTHER ON STYLE By / New York Post — Permalink PRESIDENT Bush's positions on the issues aired in the debate last night are so sound and John Kerry's so contradictory that the Republican could not help but win the debate. But, despite the contradictions of his positions, Kerry showed Americans that he looks and acts like a commander-in-chief and someone we could trust with power. | |
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Orrin Judd: THE LOOKER: ONE WINNER ON SUBSTANCE, ANOTHER ON STYLE (DICK MORRIS, October 1, 2004, NY Post) [snipped quote] No one's... James Joyner: Dick Morris says there were actually two winners last night, one on substance, the other on style. |
Betsy Newmark: Dick Morris says that Bush won on substance, but lost it on style because he seemed like he didn't want to be there. |
New C.I.A. Chief Chooses 4 Top Aides From House By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 - Porter J. Goss, the new director of central intelligence, has chosen four House Republican aides for senior positions at the Central Intelligence Agency, including the No. 3 job in the agency, former agency officials said Thursday. | |
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James Joyner: Goss Appoints Aides to Key CIA Posts — New C.I.A. Chief Chooses 4 Top Aides From House (Douglas Jehl, NYT) [snipped quote] This strikes me as a perfectly sound move. Nathan Newman: Porter Goss promises to lead the CIA in a non-partisan way, then he stacks the CIA with House GOP staff |
Susan Madrak: SO MUCH FOR THAT 'DE-POLITICIZING INTELLIGENCE' THING — Partisan hack Porter Goss, new CIA chief, is stacking the top CIA jobs with rabidly partisan Republicans. |
The First Debate WaPo — Permalink THE FIRST encounter between President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry last night generated both heat and some illumination about the two candidates' positions on critical questions of foreign policy. | |
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FrancoAlemán: The Washington Post has, in my opinion, one of the best and more balanced editorials in the mainstraem press. A good read. Captain Ed: Washington Papers Agree: Debate A Draw — It's not too often that one finds editorial agreement between the two DC... |
Tom Maguire: MORE: OK, I'll take the WaPo editors for my team: ...The center of the debate was Iraq, though the candidates differed more on past actions than on future plans. |
'BAD NIGHT' FOR W. By / New York Post — Permalink Sen. John Kerry scored a decisive victory over an unusually off-his-game President Bush at the first of three debates last night, according to a 10-person bipartisan panel of political consultants and debate experts interviewed by The Post. | |
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Betsy Newmark: The New York Post's panel of experts all scored the debate for Kerry, but are unsure if it is enough to bring him up even. |
Howard Kurtz: The New York Post also relies on a panel of smart people: "Sen. John Kerry scored a decisive victory over an unusually... |
Standing Firm for 90 Minutes By / NYT — Permalink In the end, it was a real debate: sharp, scrappy and defining, just what the nation seemed to be yearning for during a wartime election campaign. Again and again, President Bush defended his conduct of the war in Iraq, insisting, "there must be certainty from the U.S. president." | |
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Talking Dog: Last night's debate was surprisingly entertaining... the President was surprisingly well-prepared and articulate (for... |
Howard Kurtz: Todd Purdum in the New York Times: "In the end, it was a real debate: sharp, scrappy and defining, just what the nation... |
Finally Face to Face, Candidates Deepen Their Division on Iraq By / LAT — Permalink CORAL GABLES, Fla. — President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry increased the odds that the voters' verdict on the war in Iraq will decide the November election, as they deepened their disagreement over the conflict during a sharp but civil debate Thursday night. | |
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Orrin Judd: MORE: Finally Face to Face, Candidates Deepen Their Division on Iraq: Bush and Kerry raise few new arguments, but dig in on differences over how to win the war. |
Howard Kurtz: Ron Brownstein in the Los Angeles Times: "President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry increased the odds that the voters'... |
In Debate, Kerry and Bush Stand Firm for 90 Minutes By / NYT — Permalink In the end, it was a real debate: sharp, scrappy and defining, just what the nation seemed to be yearning for during a wartime election campaign. Again and again, President Bush defended his conduct of the war in Iraq, insisting, "there must be certainty from the U.S. president." | |
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Tom Maguire: Iraq And North Korea — Todd Purdum of the Times has a Cialis-advisory headline and plucks this from the debate on Iraq:... |
Steve M.: In the print edition of The New York Times, the headline of the jump of this Todd Purdum story gives you the CW in... |
Kerry, Bush clash on national security USA Today — Permalink CORAL GABLES, Fla. — President Bush made "a colossal error in judgment" in going to war in Iraq, John Kerry said Thursday in a high-stakes debate with the president. But Bush accused Kerry of sending "mixed messages" that hurt the morale of troops and endangered America's security. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: A THIRD UPDATE: Yet more results: [snipped quote] A FOURTH UPDATE: An in-depth analysis of the futures markets and their reaction to the debate can be found here. Mathew Gross: From USA Today tomorrow, depending on the rewrite: In much of the in the debate, while Kerry looked relaxed and hit the... |
Joe Gandelman: We'll leave the specifics on the debates for you to read in news stories here, here and here. And some key quotes from the debates here. |
US, China back North Korea talks BBC — Permalink The US and China have said they were confident North Korea will return to six-party talks to end the stand-off over Pyongyang's nuclear programmes. US State Secretary Colin Powell said after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing the format was "what we should be concentrating on". | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: UNDERMINING JOHN KERRY ON NORTH KOREA — Regarding the argument between Bush and Kerry over North Korea (discussed... Dale Franks: The NoKo Problem — A commenter to the previous post writes: [snipped quote] Well, you may want to re-think that, because... |
Captain Ed: Bush insisted that the US needed global leverage, and shortly afterwards, the BBC provided Bush with some support for... Glenn Reynolds: SPEAKING OF MULTILATERALISM AND NORTH KOREA: [snipped quote] This is bad news for Kerry. UPDATE: But Kerry's position has been consistent. |
Presidential debate MSNBC — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. JIM LEHRER, MODERATOR: Good evening from the University of Miami Convocation Center in Coral Gables, Florida. I'm Jim Lehrer of "The NewsHour" on PBS. | |
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Kash: There were several questions posed directly to Bush that he never actually answered, including: "Do you believe the... Josh Marshall: "The A.Q. Khan network has been brought to justice," President Bush said in the debate tonight. Brought to justice? Really? |
Natasha @PacificViews: Frankly, it's depressing. Selected quotes below are presented in the order in which they were spoken, via MSNBC. |
U.S. Effort Aims to Improve Opinions About Iraq Conflict WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration, battling negative perceptions of the Iraq war, is sending Iraqi Americans to deliver what the Pentagon calls "good news" about Iraq to U.S. military bases, and has curtailed distribution of reports showing increasing violence in that country. | |
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Kevin Drum: The Washington Post has the details. Laura Rozen: Check this out, from the Washington Post yesterday: "The Bush administration, battling negative perceptions of the Iraq... Magpie @PacificViews: That's no way to treat somebody who's courageous and brave, that is trying to lead his country forward. [emphasis added]... |
Mathew Gross: Bush Doesn't Just Ignore Reality — He Suppresses It — Here: [snipped quote] Via MyDD. Visit the Kroll website here. Chris Bowers: Bush Advisor: Bush Is Lying About Iraq For Election — The "recommended diaries" addition at dailykos really works: ... Edward _: The Washington Post is reporting that the speech Allawi gave before Congress was in part prepared by the Bush campaign:... |
| Also: John Quiggin, Mark Kleiman, Josh Marshall, Matthew Yglesias, The Poor Man, Steve Soto, Eugene Oregon, Dave Johnson | |
Distortions and Misstatements At First Presidential Debate FactCheck.org — Permalink In the first of three scheduled debates between Bush and Kerry both candidates sometimes departed from the facts. Bush glossed over significant problems with US reconstruction efforts in Iraq when he claimed that the US is "spending money" and that 100,000 Iraqi security forces have been trained. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Shorter Debate Fact Check — From Annenberg: Bush fundamentally misrepresents the nature of the war on terror, progress... |
Brian Linse: BULLS**T COUNT: FactCheck.org has their summary up. Bottom line? Bush was way more full of s**t than Kerry. |
S.D. school crisis plan is found on disk in Iraq By / San Diego Union-Tribune — Permalink A man arrested by U.S. authorities in Iraq had a computer disk in his possession containing a public report downloaded from a U.S. Department of Education Web site on crisis planning in school districts, including San Diego Unified. | |
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Charles Johnson: School Crisis Plan Found on Disk in Iraq — Were there plans in the works for a Beslan-like massacre In Iraq — S.D. school crisis plan is found on disk in Iraq">in San Diego? Glenn Reynolds: I'm surprised that Bush hasn't mentioned this story in support of his forward strategy on homeland security: [snipped quote] Good story. |
Tom Smith: Al Qaeda targeting San Diego kids — It bothers me plenty that San Diego is so much on the terrorists radar. Now this. KJL: OH GOODNESS — American schools crisis plan found on a disk in Iraq. |
House Ethics Panel Says DeLay Tried to Trade Favor for a Vote By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 - Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader, was admonished by the House ethics committee on Thursday night for improperly trying to win the vote of a Michigan lawmaker during a heated floor fight over a health care bill last year. | |
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Charles Kuffner: They admonished DeLay and two other members for actions during the Medicare bill last year. [snipped quote] Well, that's something, I guess. |
Jim D: Operation Gravy On The Mashed Potatoes — Just when you think it can't get better, it does: The New York Times says Tom DeLay has been busted for violating House rules. |
Troop documents conflict with Bush claims Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON - Fewer Iraqi security forces will be fully trained by the end of this year than cited by President George W. Bush and it will take until July 2006 to fully train the police force, according to Pentagon documents. | |
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Kevin Raybould: At best, there are about 53,000 , with most of those not having completed all of the training. |
SK Bubba: Wrong, says the Pentagon. Only 53,000 have been trained. Like everything else in Iraq, troop training is not going as planned (or not planned, as the case may be). |
U.S. Launches Assault on Rebel-Held Iraqi Town Reuters — Permalink By Luke Baker BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces in Iraq on Friday launched a big offensive in the rebel stronghold of Samarra and said they had secured key government and police buildings. | |
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Juan Cole: In the aftermath, the US military launched a major attack on guerrillas in Samarra. |
Jeff Quinton: Fighting in Samarra — Yahoo/Reuters: "Residents of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, told Reuters by telephone that... |
Blogs put real-time spin on debate coverage By / CNET.com — Permalink Besides the usual fare of major media commentary, bloggers across the political spectrum will be busy posting their views during Thursday night's debate between President Bush and challenger John Kerry. | |
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Juan Cole: Meanwhile, real-time political blogging became an element in the public reception of the debate. |
Michelle Malkin: CNET has a story about another liveblogging cooperative forum that'll be up and running during the debate. |
Let the Fact Checking Begin! By / WaPo — Permalink Fact-checking what the presidential candidates say in tonight's debate is such a critical aspect of the coverage that several media outlets this morning decided: Why wait? | |
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SLZoll: (The LA Times and Wash Post report several other instances where Bush's candidness is suspect.) Kevin Drum: DEBATE FACT CHECKING....Dan Froomkin of the Washington Post wants bloggers to form a gigantic decentralized fact checking consortium for tonight's debate. Daniel Drezner: Then listen to Dan Froomkin — the author of the invaluable Whie House Briefing at the Washington Post — who has an... |
Avedon Carol: Debate watch — Dan Froomkin in The Washington Post says: Let the Fact Checking Begin! Jane Galt: A modest proposal — Dan Froomkin has had an idea: [snipped quote] I'll be watching the debates with the Galt clan this... Michael Froomkin: Let the Fact Checking Begin! And here's another way to make sure that the substance of Bush and Kerry's comments are fully and quickly assessed. |
| Also: Jay Rosen | |
Bush, Kerry Prepare for Debate in Fla. AP — Permalink CORAL GABLES, Fla. Sept. 30, 2004 — After a deluge of campaign speeches and hostile television ads, President Bush and challenger John Kerry got their chance to face each other directly Thursday night before an audience of tens of millions of voters in a high-stakes debate about terrorism, the Iraq war and the bloody aftermath. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Back to the Future — If you thought the debate was tonight, you missed it — at least according to this AP story posted this afternoon. Chris Bowers: Post-Deabnte Spin Has Begun — For some bizarre reason, the AP has already put out a report on the debate written in the past tense: [snipped quote] What the heck? Atrios: Oops, I Missed It — The AP gives us the template for debate articles: [snipped quote] ...it's gone. Annatopia has the screenshot. |
Armed Liberal: A New Verb: Lapham-ed — ABC News: "CORAL GABLES, Fla. Sept. 30, 2004 — After a deluge of campaign speeches and... Ken Layne: Hooray, the Debate's Over! The Associated Press filed this at noon Pacific time: [snipped quote] Italics mine. |
CAMERON DIAZ ELECTION SCARE: 'IF YOU THINK RAPE SHOULD BE LEGAL, THEN DON'T VOTE' Drudge Report — Permalink On Oprah's Wednesday 'voting party' show featuring important celebrities like P. Diddy (Vote or Die!) , Drew Barrymore and Christina Aguilera, svelte suffragette Cameron Diaz took to shock tactics to get the female vote out. | |
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John Hawkins: The left is getting nuttier and nuttier as we get closer to the election. Clayton Cramer: Obviously, one of them did, or that astute political observer Cameron Diaz wouldn't have said this: "Ms. DIAZ: We have... Michelle Malkin: Laura Ingraham read Cam's comments on her radio show this morning and Drudge posted a transcript excerpt this afternoon:... |
Susanna Cornett: How do you spell "twit"? C-A-M-E-R-O-N Twit. Jane Galt: Thank God for celebrities in politics . . . who else would be brave enough to speak out against the vast campaign to legalise rape? Ramesh Ponnuru: WORDS OF WISDOM from Cameron Diaz. |
Blair to Have Heart Procedure, Will Serve 3rd Term By / Reuters — Permalink LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he would go into hospital Friday for a procedure to correct heart palpitations but vowed he will serve a full third term in office if he wins an election expected next year. | |
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Charles Johnson: Thank You, Tony — British Prime Minister Tony Blair will undergo surgery to correct heart palpitations, and now is a... |
Jeff Jarvis: Lub-dub : Tony Blair is getting a hospital procedure for the same heart wackiness I have: palpitations and irregular rhythm. |
Fineman: Beware debate spinners By / MSNBC — Permalink MIAMI - Sometimes you see a candidacy collapse before your eyes on the television monitor in the press room of a presidential debate. At the first one I covered — at UCLA in 1988 — I watched Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts lose what little chance he had of beating Vice President George Bush. | |
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James Joyner: Finally, Howard Fineman cautions us to "Beware debate spinners." |
Rice Grad: I know the media favors liberals, but: MSNBC's Howard Fineman: [snipped quote] I suppose there are ways to interpret this that don't include Oliphant's disgust at Bush winning. |
Debate Panel Nixes Kerry Campaign Request By / AP — Permalink CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Sen. John Kerry to debate organizers: Let's go light on the lights. Advisers for the Democratic presidential candidate demanded Thursday that the lights signaling when a speaker's time has expired during debates with President Bush be removed from the lecterns because they are distracting. | |
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Deacon: AP reports that the campaign demanded that lights signaling when a debater's time has expired (lights agreed to by Kerry's representative) be removed from the lecterns. Captain Ed: Kerry Campaign Throws A Tantrum — Ron Fournier reports that aides to John Kerry had an "angry exchange" with the Debate... |
Ace: John Kerry Driven Insane By Little Flashing Light — Angry words exchanged as he insists — nay, demands! — that the time-expired lights be removed from the debate lecterns. Charles Johnson: Kerry's (First) Last Minute Whine — John Kerry doesn't like the timeout lights to which he previously agreed: Debate Panel Nixes Kerry Campaign Request. |
Iraqi's Plea to Labour: don't Pull Out Troops By / PA — Permalink The woman who helped swing the vote at the Labour conference over pulling troops out of Iraq today accused party members of naivety about the situation in the country. Shanaz Rashid — whose husband is a minister in the interim Iraqi government — was earlier given a standing ovation when she made an emotional appeal not to pull troops out. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: Maybe I'm getting cynical in my old age, but I don't think that an impassioned speech by a Kurdish woman "helped swing the vote" either, as papers have it. Glenn Reynolds: AN IRAQI WOMAN TO BRITAIN'S LABOR PARTY — DON'T ABANDON IRAQ: [snipped quote] Blair won with 80% of the vote. |
Michele Catalano: Here, if you don't want to listen to me, listen to the words of an Iraqi woman: [quote] "Yes, there have been difficulties.[end quote] |
Debate Set to Sharpen Bush-Kerry Contrast LAT — Permalink ALTOONA, Iowa — With so much at stake, they don't want polemics, they want plans. Instead of dirt, they want details about how President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry would make America stronger, safer and healthier, and how the two men vying for the nation's highest office would extricate the country from a troubling war. | |
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Todd Pearson: Kerry's Big Chance — Kevin Drum links to an interesting story in the LA Times today regarding first debate bounces. |
Kevin Drum: THE DEBATE BOUNCE....The LA Times has an interesting chart today that showed the size of the post-debate poll bounce since 1960 (as measured by Gallup). |
Why Bush Looks Good to Women By / LAT — Permalink Freud, on his deathbed, asked, "What do women want?" The improbable answer, it now seems, may be George W. Bush. According to pollsters, the gender gap that usually helps Democrats is shrinking. | |
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Kevin Drum: Sigh. And her first column is every bit as vapid as you'd expect. KJL: In the LATimes:"Remember Bush 41, taunted for rightly resisting calls to charge into Baghdad and ridiculed as a lap dog, a wimp and every woman's first husband. |
James Joyner: Margaret Carlson, writing in the LAT, seeks to explain "Why Bush Looks Good to Women." Orrin Judd: LIKE GEORGE HAMILTON DOING A PUMICE STONE INFOMERCIAL: Why Bush Looks Good to Women (Margaret Carlson, September 30,... |
Plan Would Let U.S. Deport Suspects to Nations That Might Torture Them WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration is supporting a provision in the House leadership's intelligence reform bill that would allow U.S. authorities to deport certain foreigners to countries where they are likely to be tortured or abused, an action prohibited by the international laws against torture the United States signed 20 years ago. | |
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Medium Lobster: The Medium Lobster, like the Justice Department, stands fully behind the practice - after all, we must "better secure... Kevin T. Keith: The administration wants legal sanction for the secret policy it has already been pursuing of sending US captives to... Avedon Carol: Front page of The Washington Post, Plan Would Let U.S. Deport Suspects to Nations That Might Torture Them. |
Katherine R: The Justice Department supports it. : [quote] Hastert spokesman John Feehery said the Justice Department "really wants and supports" the provision.[end quote] James Joyner: Deporting Terror Suspects to Torture States — Plan Would Let U.S. Deport Suspects to Nations That Might Torture Them... The Poor Man: The Washington Post goes front-page with the attempt by the Congressional leadership to sneak in a bill legalizing the torture of suspected terrorists. |
| Also: Mark Kleiman, Orrin Judd, H.D. Miller, Sam Rosenfeld, Kevin Raybould, Ted Barlow, Michael Froomkin, Jeanne D'Arc | |
Baghdad Bombings Kill 35 Children By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A series of bombs killed 35 children and seven adults Thursday as U.S. troops handed out candy at a government ceremony to inaugurate a new sewage treatment plant. Hours earlier, a suicide blast killed a U.S. soldier and two Iraqis on the capital's outskirts. | |
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Steve M.: When I look at the horror in Iraq today, I can't fight off a political thought: "Security moms," if you're planning to... Captain Ed: Children comprised the vast majority of the deaths, mostly from a three-bomb attack on a neighborhood celebration of a... Charles Johnson: Holy Warriors Murder 35 Children in Iraq — Baghdad Bombings Kill 35 Children. |
Chad Evans: Blasts in Baghdad Kill 35 Children - Associated Press [snipped quote] While U.S. soldiers were doing good deeds and... H.D. Miller: Child Killers — It's hard to get too worked up about this, "The Bush administration is supporting a provision in the... Ezra Klein: Lucky for them, the insurgents have found a heartbreaking way to ensure their presence in the lede: [snipped quote] It... |
| Also: Damian Penny, FrancoAlemán, Roger L. Simon, Talking Dog | |
On Notice By / Weekly Standard — Permalink IT STARTED on the Late, Late Show Monday night. Drudge posted a link to a picture of John Kerry's suddenly orange face on Tuesday, and Blogs for Bush, Blogs of War, and Best of the Web started an Oompa Loompa meme Tuesday afternoon. | |
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Matt Welch: Lehrer Dodges Hewittian Bullet ... This Time — Before last night's surprisingly entertaining back-and-forth over the... Barbara O'Brien: Follow these steps in order: 1. Read this opinion piece by Hugh Hewitt. * 2. See this cartoon. ** * Thanks to Kevin Drum. Kevin Drum: A grateful nation salutes you, Hugh Hewitt. |
Neil Shah: While not addressing me directly-such a thing would get him smacked-up-he provides a well thought-out and highly... Jesse Taylor: The Coalition Of The Really Stupid — Hugh "Of Desperation" Hewitt declares that an important story is being missed - missed! - by the liberal media! Jeffrey Dubner: The preemptive condemnation of moderator Jim Lehrer has already begun, and "enormous blowback" has already been threatened. |
| Also: H.D. Miller, Tim Blair, Mitch Berg, Captain Ed, PoliPundit, Ed Driscoll, Greg Ransom, Jay Rosen, Hugh Hewitt | |
Bush Leads Kerry Going Into Debate By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — President Bush has a 5-percentage-point lead over Sen. John F. Kerry among likely voters, but nearly one-fifth say the candidate debates that begin tonight could affect their decision, a new Times poll has found. | |
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Steve Soto: Today's L A Times Poll Shows A Tie If Weighted To 2000 Exit Polls — As many of you know, the Los Angeles Times released... Joe Gandelman: It's the political context, stupid (and that means YOU): polls show Bush leading going into the debate but lots of... Howard Kurtz: So here's one, from the Los Angeles Times: "President Bush has a 5 percentage point lead over Sen. John F. Kerry among... |
Noam Scheiber: MORE EVIDENCE SECURITY MOMS DON'T EXIST: Ron Brownstein takes us through the gender breakdown of the latest Los Angeles... James Joyner: Bush Leads Kerry Going Into Debate — Bush Leads Kerry Going Into Debate (Ronald Brownstein, LAT) [snipped quote] Interesting. Taegan Goddard: New Polls — President Bush "has a 5-percentage-point lead" over Sen. John Kerry among likely voters, "but nearly... |
| Also: Steve M. | |
DAN DOES IT AGAIN New York Post — Permalink Consider: Both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry say they adamantly oppose reinstitution of the military draft, which was ended in 1973. The Pentagon also says it is vehemently opposed to giving up the all-volunteer army. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Some thoughts on the draft from a serviceman in Iraq. ANOTHER UPDATE: The New York Post: "Dan does it again." Greg Ransom: NY POST — Dan Gets Snookered Again. |
Rich Lowry: THE DRAFT — This is a good New York Post editorial on the absurd and shameful lie that Bush is planning to implement a draft. Bill @INDCJournal: Draw your own conclusions. |
A Primer for Tonight's First Debate WaPo — Permalink Tonight's debate between President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry marks the culmination of months of campaigning, speeches and attack ads, and the clash is likely to set the tone for the remaining five weeks of the election. | |
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KJL: From one who watches these things: "Today's Washington Post — in an article about misleading campaign claims, of all... Matthew Yglesias: That, at least, is the message of a Washington Post article arguing that "Both Bush and Kerry Have Set the Stage With Some Misleading Claims." Taegan Goddard: Debate Primer — Tonight's debate between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry "marks the culmination of months of... |
DeLong: Matthew Yglesias finds the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler and Ceci Connolly taking a dive: "TAPPED: September 2004 Archives: FAIR AND BALANCED. Joe Gandelman: Buyer beware of misleading debate claims, says The Washington Post, in a great primer for the debates that you need to have while you watch them. |
The Enthusiasm Gap WaPo — Permalink Forget the gender gap. The chasm that yawns the widest this election year is the Enthusiasm Gap. Nearly two in three likely voters who support President Bush — 65 percent — said they were "very enthusiastic" about their candidate while 42 percent of... | |
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Captain Ed: Much has been made about the enthusiasm gap this week, in which 65% of Bush supporters say they enthusiastically back... Pejman Yousefzadeh: This article confirms that an enthusiasm gap remains in examining the difference between Bush voters and Kerry voters:... Orrin Judd: THE CW'S ROAD TO GOLGOTHA: The Enthusiasm Gap: Also: The (Other) Great Divides; Poll Vault: A Hurricane Preparedness Tip... |
Jonah Goldberg: THE ENTHUSIASM GAP — The surest explanation for the draft myth, the Cameron Diaz rhetoric and the rest can be found in... Hindrocket: "Enthusiasm Gap" Threatens Dems — The Washington Post notes that 65% of President Bush's supporters say they are "very... |
Songs about the Southland By / Guardian — Permalink A church sign in America's south. Photograph: Glenn Reynolds In my lifetime, only one Democrat who was not from the American south has won the presidency. And the Democrat who did so, John F Kennedy, accomplished this feat when I was two months old. | |
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Steve M.: So The Guardian gives a weekly column to right-wing blog god Glenn "Instapundit" Reynolds, and right off the bat he... Will Collier: Sith Lord Reynolds has taken the Boeing—er, Concorde, no, Airbus. He's also resurrected that old Darth Blogger picture. Glenn Reynolds: KERRY AND THE SOUTH: I'm writing a weekly column for The Guardian between now and the election, and the first one is up. |
Mike Rappaport: Here is an interesting excerpt: "And, at any rate, the south's commitment to traditional values is, like Bill Clinton's, less strong than many might believe. Roger L. Simon: Still, it's great to see Glenn giving a lesson in Jacksonianism to the smart set in Chelsea. They need it. |
In Debate on Foreign Policy, Wide Gulf or Splitting Hairs? By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 - It is an axiom of the two presidential campaigns that their candidates offer a stark choice about America's role in the world. On Thursday night, voters will have their best chance yet to judge that choice when President Bush and Senator John Kerry meet in their first debate, on foreign policy. | |
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Noam Scheiber: I'm getting tired of writing this, so I'm sure everyone's tired of reading it. Jeanne D'Arc: If the press isn't already bound to the idea that there are no substantive differences between Kerry and Bush on foreign... Taegan Goddard: Since the debate is about foreign affairs, the New York Times reviews the candidate's positions but finds few differences. |
Steve Lovelady: Go to comments — September 30, 2004 Hidden Angle Paralysis by Analysis On the front page of today's New York Times,... Steve M.: New York Times Gee, when have I heard this before? Could it have been just after Kerry's NYU speech? |
Now on DVD: The Passion of the Bush By / NYT — Permalink You can run but you can't hide: Oct. 5 will bring the perfect storm in this year's culture wars. It's on that strategically chosen date, four Tuesdays before the election, that the DVD of "Fahrenheit 9/11" will be released along with not one but two new Michael Moore books. | |
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Avedon Carol: Frank Rich has Now on DVD: The Passion of the Bush, about the right's attempt to respond to the recent deluge of... Steve Gilliard: Jesus and George — Boy, this jesus scam works great FRANK RICH Now on DVD: The Passion of the Bush [snipped quote] So if... The Farmer: Read the rest: FRANK RICH, Now on DVD: The Passion of the Bush - Published: October 3, 2004 Next. |
Orrin Judd: Now on DVD: The Passion of the Bush (Frank Rich, 10/03/04, NY Times) "Of the many cultural grenades being tossed that... Taegan Goddard: Now on DVD: The Passion of Bush — The New York Times notes that October 5th "will bring the perfect storm in this year's culture wars. |
Kerry's myth making By / Townhall.com — Permalink WASHINGTON — John Kerry in a press conference last week repeated his accusation that Gen. Eric Shinseki was "forced out" as U.S. Army chief of staff because he wanted more troops for Iraq. The trouble is that the Democratic presidential nominee was spreading an urban myth. | |
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Orrin Judd: SMART MONEY SAYS A DEAN-LIKE SCREAM IS ONLY A WEEK OR TWO AWAY: Kerry's myth making (Robert Novak, September 30, 2004, Townhall) [snipped quote] Wasn't this inevitable? Will Collier: Bob Novak says Kerry is boldly going where Al Gore has gone before. I've also been watching the multitude of stories on potential vote fraud with some interest. |
Jonah Goldberg: Maybe it's a sign of my partisanship, but I think Bob Novak's similar complaints about Kerry are far, far more serious. Betsy Newmark: Robert Novak nails Kerry. Kerry is so desperate now that he is spreading lies. It seems to be the only hope he has. |