Monday, 16 February 2004 - 4:47 AM EST

Do you think politics is getting too personal? Politics as a spectator sport? In a world where advisers purposefully lower expectations for thier candidates in debates and the public DEMANDS to see a candidate's wife, I don't think it's possible to have a national debate on the issues.

I didn't see it, but Ted Koppel supposedly ran a good debate that challenged the Democratic candidates to answer tough substantiative questions, apparently even getting them all really angry for making them do so. That's the kind of debate we could use, but the public has to care first.

I just have to add quickly that when you put on the flight suit, you bring down the thunder.

Monday, 16 February 2004 - 8:50 AM EST

I quoted from that piece because it is almost exactly what Tony said to me after watching the Sunday talk shows this week. It sucks that the only time normal people care about politics in this country (presidential election years) is the time when it is least possible to have actual political discourse.

Koppel was definitely tough, but his questions were mostly on process. His first question to everyone was "Do you think Gov. Dean can beat George Bush?", and then he spent most of the debate asking each candidate about the state of their campaign - typical horse-race garbage. Dennis Kucinich actually called him on it, and bitched about how the media keeps real issues from being discussed.

I would have less of a problem with the Democrats bringing up the National Guard story IF IT WERE TRUE. Now they've wasted a week of our time and made themselves look like conspiracy theorists, and for what? It's months before the election; no one except Michael Moore and his ilk will remember this, and they aren't exactly swing voters. Did they really think that a story of this magnitude would not have come out during Bush's previous runs, had it been true?

But even if the story were true, what is the point? Bush doesn't have to prove to the public what kind of a commander-in-chief he will be, because he's already led the military into two wars. If Kerry and the Democrats want to attack Bush, do it on things Bush has actually done in office, instead of dredging up half-baked stories from thirty years ago.

Monday, 16 February 2004 - 10:32 AM EST

The thing I don't like is the little half-truths that I kind of equate with Animal Farm that seem to be the trademark of Bush, which kind of put the details to the side in favor of a big picture.

Reform education? Did it. Medicare? That too. Throw something in about corporate accountablity, and that two minute sound bite is dragging to the 1:59 mark. The details would have to wait.

Screw it. Let's just get the whole message across with Bush's campaign donations from Enron, and Kerry recieving special interest money, the one thing I don't think either candidate should touch.

Everybody knows that he skipped out on the war he supported on purpose, and when people don't listen the debate gets more dramatic. Russert said yesterday "Why didn't he sign up for the Infantry?" I doubt people were kicking down the door to be in the Infantry in Vietnam. That's kind of where the debate has gone in the week, so I see your point.

Tuesday, 17 February 2004 - 9:10 AM EST

When I logged on to MSN this morning I saw the cover of the latest Newsweek. It shows Bush and Kerry around the time of Vietnam and asks the question of how this war will haunt them. I understand what a defining moment the Vietnam war was for the Baby Boom generation, but it's time to move on.

We cannot allow this election, the first since the most devastating terrorist attack on U.S. soil, to be a vehicle where we rehash the Vietnam war. Nor can we allow it to be about petty, personal matters. There are big, big issues at stake here, and the refusal on the part of politicians and the media to confront these issues, for whatever reason, is a display of personal cowardice and professional ineptitude. I couldn't agree with the above quote more. It's a sentiment I've expressed a couple of times over the past few days.