Michael Jackson TalkRadio Content

watched the first debate with trepidation, concerned that the better qualified candidate for the Presidency of the United States just might not measure up to his capabilities. He certainly did, even if he was pictured on a split -screen that ensured that the president looked as tall as he. Did you notice that they photographically lifted the Bush podium to make it appear that both men were the same height? (For those to whom such trivia matters, the Sen. is 6ft.4in. and the president stands at a respectable 6' ft. Did you notice too that the background of Mr. Kerry was a medium blue, while the background of the president was shown as a darker, royal blue.
I learned one thing from Mr. Bush during the first of the debates; it's a hard job to be chief executive. He said that fully four times. It's a hard job - never doubted that at all.
By the half way stage I got the feeling that George W. Bush would rather have been elsewhere. He appeared irritated and I would guess fully aware that he was dealing with a worthy adversary who has a far better command of the language, the issues, facts and debating skills in Senator Kerry.
If you think about it, it was somewhat akin to undefeated heavyweight boxers stepping in to the ring realizing that one would win and the other would be defeated. The champion usually has the advantage, for when a title is at stake, it usually goes to the champ on points, unless the challenger lands the knock-out blow. The incumbent was and is no champion. On substance, there can be no doubt that Kerry had the better of the encounter. On style, that, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
For Mr. Bush, the confrontation with Kerry was the first time as president that he had been directly challenged in a format that made his rival a political equal. Remember, usually, a president is shown automatic deference from his questioner, whether they be reporters or people in the audience. This was not the case in the first debate and it won't be in the two future debates...nor should it be the case in this situation.
Pundits love to say "there were no knock-out blows" scored by either candidate. They're correct, but Kerry landed a sufficient number of blows to assure that this fight is far from over, nor is the outcome assured. Polls over the next few days will paint a more effective picture. Immediately subsequent to the televised debate CNN showed a Bush/Cheney commercial in which it was stated, "President Bush did not start the war in Iraq". I found myself talking back to the screen; If bush didn't start it, who in hell did?
Sen. Kerry said, early on, setting the tone for the foreign policy encounter, "This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment. And judgment is what we look for in a president".
In conversations with friends and some colleagues in the earlier hours of the day, without exception, all said they'd be watching, but all were convinced that because of the pre-debate stipulations and regulations, it would be a wooden affair and possibly boring. It was anything but boring and augers well for a large audience for the second face -to- face between the candidates with a different format; the so-called "town hall" format with citizens in the audience posing the questions.
Before that there'll be another "High Noon," all guns blazing debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and the Democrat's running mate Sen.John Edwards. That'll be on Tuesday and that should be fireworks from the very beginning.
At the very least Sen.John Kerry, without being wordy or pompous, showed the world that he can be a serious, thinking man and that he is a candidate with knowledge and vision.
Mr. Bush was Mr. Bush - folksy, simple, the aw-shucks young feller from Texas. Funny thing though, have you noticed that, with all his Eastern quality schools upbringing, he speaks in incomplete sentences with a Texas drawl, while every other member of the family is sans accent and they speak well.