Bush loves debates

Don't be fooled by his supposed "cowardice" over the third debate, he's just messing witcha a little bit.

Why shouldn't Bush love debates? First of all, he gets a standing ovation from the media just for showing up. Second, he can lie to his heart's content about anything, and the media will totally give him a pass. Third, if your opponent expresses any sort of consternation about the way you are lying like a dog on national TV, the media will make the story about how "huffy" and how many "sighs" your opponent had.

On the evening of the first debate with Gore, even the usual media whores said how Bush got clobbered. Then, within 72 hours, they decided that Gore sighing was the big story and declared Chimpy McCokespoon the "winner"! And the rest is history.

Bush expects similar fawning over himself this time, and he will get it. Don't be fooled into thinking he doesn't want to debate. He's dying for it.

All of the things you said are true but the town hall format of the debate he's skipping is what makes the difference.

is not the typical podium form where a reporter asks questions. It is a town hall meeting type debate in which questions are to be asked by an audience of undecided voters. He is definitely afraid of this type of scenario.

Any performance by the Chimp can be spun into an outstanding victory by our highly patriotic media.

... regarding SmirkBoy's performances at debates (by James Fallows).

You should get this issue and peruse it Ñ because the article makes a pretty good case that * doesn't do all that badly in debates.

..as he did in 2000. The media will declare Bush "won" if he just manages to say his name right, because he "surpassed" expectations.

It never pays to underestimate the opposition. Like it or not the common perception is that Bush outperformed Gore in 2000 and outperformed Ann Richards in TX. I can't say about Bush v. Richards but I think Bush did beat Gore in the 2000 debates. (I'm not talking about a particular debate but the whole series.)

questions that are going to be asked!

Here's my concern:

All he has to do is come up with a couple of pithy Reagan-esque one-liners like "There you go again" or "Where's the beef?*" or "Fuzzy math" and Kerry, who will try to put across compelling, fact-based arguments will look like a ivory-tower pointy-haid intellectual college-boy.

The media will run with the one-liner and that's all the public will hear about. Perception: Boy George is some kind of populist plain-talker and Kerry waffles and prevaricates.


* I know this was a Mondale line, but it's all anyone remembers from the 1984 debates. Oh yeah, and that Mondale promised to raise taxes.