Damage at Gammage

No, it was not the Thrilla in Manila or even the Rumble in the Jungle.

Tonight two well-dressed middle-aged politicians met at the Gammage Auditorium in Tempe, Arizona. Two podiums from behind which the men could hide this time, unlike the last debate which was the infamous Spring Butt Festival of Stools (stool pigeons or stool samples, I'm not sure which).

The audience was silent except for opening applause as the two men met and shook hands before the beginning of the debate. After that, some titters and snickers were heard when Senator Kerry called George Bush "Tony Soprano".

Bush had some moments, like saying "a plan is not a litany of complaints" (good zing, George) and "heh heh heh...I sure hope it's not the administration!" (stop with the shoulder shrugging chuckles already!) and "It's the equivalent of the .... uh.... buggy...and...uh...horse days" (it's horse-and-buggy days, sir).

Kerry is obviously sporting dyed hair tonight. Almost too slick for his own style. He also invoked the image of JFK in his digression about being a Catholic. John, you may be Catholic and have the same three initials...but you are no John Kennedy.

Bush again... "blah blah blah....oh!...uh...anyway!"

Thank goodness, we are halfway through the debate now. Despite Dan Rather's fact-checking snafu, CBS provided the moderator of this debate. It isn't Dan Rather, but rather (no pun) his esteemed colleague, Bob Sheafer. I want that job...get paid big bucks to ask presidents and senators questions and then tell them to shut up when their time is up.

My question about the budget deficit is: Who cares if we are passing debt on to our children? The fact that we allows our government to have a deficit at all without repayment is appalling. Aren't we the children of our parents who passed on their national deficit to us? And are we paying it? Heck no, we are passing it on to our children. Why? Because we are a society that at the very basic level lives on credit and debt and assumes we will never have to pay it all off. We tend to live beyond our means and with no penalty. So, is the issue of "passing on the deficit" really relevant?

Illegal immigration. A topic I live in the midst of every day. Let's see how the debators respond. Bush says unmanned vehicles and 1000 new agents. Bush was a border governor for awhile. Temporary worker card he says, as long as no American will take the job. Bush not in favor of amnesty. Kerry says borders leaking more than before 9/11. Kerry wants to crack down on illegal hiring. An earned legalization program for tax-paying illegals who have been here and may have kids here. Bush focusing on equipment and manpower increases. Kerry: 4000 people a day come across the border, some from middle east (allegedly). Finger and thumbprint technology.

Kerry: "It's long-overduuuuuuue-time to raise the minimum wage."

Phew! An hour down, thirty minutes to go.

Bush keeps refocusing questions of economy as being more about education. Mr. Bush, I have a bachelors degree with honors and over a decade of management experience, and no one is hiring me. Will you pay for my masters degree so I can get a job? Thanks.

Bush sipping water again...thirsty Texan.

Kerry's hair dye holding steady and looking good (yet somehow out of place).

Bush keeps calling Kerry "a liberal politician from Massachusetts"...interestingly, Kerry does not point out that Bush is a conservative politician from Texas.

Backdoor Draft...Stop Loss Policy...terms I'm familiar with as a former soldier. What I find interesting is that thousands upon thousands of Guardspeople and Reservists are being used full-time and thousands upon thousands Active Duty troops can't leave the service because they are all busy invading and occupying two foreign countries...yet we let illegal immigrants into this country by the thousands upon thousands every day and toss barely 1000 new agents and some cameras at the problem. We are invading two countries while we are being invaded at home. Tell me, what is wrong with this picture?

The International World...gee Mr. President, isn't that a bit redundant?

Here goes Bush again, switching an issue he is weak on (minorities and civil rights) to education. The president seems to think his weaknesses will all be solved by the No Child Left Behind initiative.

"Frankly, we have a lot more loving of our neighbor to do in this country and this world." - John Kerry

We are almost done with this debate. So far I'd say Kerry has a slight edge, but not by much.

"I think the hug Tom Daschle gave him (Bush) was...genuine." - Kerry

"Washington is a tough town." - Bush

"My opponent has a plan of retreat and defeat in Iraq." - Bush

"She (Laura Bush) speaks English better'n I do...heh heh heh." - Bush

"Remember...integrity, integrity, integrity." - John Kerry's mother, shortly before she died, to John when he told her he would run for president.

Closing Statements...

Kerry brings up his service as a young man for first time in this debate.

"I love the optimism in that painting." - Bush

My comments: A very civil debate.