The Kerry Spot on National Review Online

KERRY MAY HAVE GIVEN HIS FOES TOO MUCH FODDER

Irony watch: I admit I've been flip-flopping this morning.

On the one hand, last night Kerry was the best he was since the Democratic convention, and maybe the primaries. My head is saying, that's got to give him at least a point or two in the polls, if not more. He no longer looks orange, he no longer is giving dull, droning, rambling answers. If he didn't quite look presidential, he stopped looking like the tall Dukakis.

On the other hand, my gut is saying that Kerry didn't do what he needed to do. Kerry Spot reader John points out that the Democratic candidate gave his foes a lot of ammunition for the coming days:

Kerry obviously won on style. He looked good. But who has the material to work with and exploit over the next week? Clearly Bush. 1. "Global test?" Major mistake. We're gonna hear a lot about this. Probably today. Hopefully today.

2. Kerry didn't seem to know there were already sanctions on Iran.

3. Summit. Summit. Summit. Blah, Blah. Blah.

4. Kerry is opposed to the nuclear bunker busters as though we're the moral equivelant of our enemies. How very 80's of him.

5. Kerry certainly won Kim Jong Il's vote.

6. Kerry wants both bi-lateral AND multi-lateral discussions with North Korea? Sheesh. How about a stand? Sorry, forgot who we're dealing with.

7. Kerry said nuclear proliferation is his greatest fear and opposes missile defense? Uhm, okay.

8. He mis-spoke about the 87 billion dollars? How about, as Bush might put it, he mis-voted? Terrible reponse.

9. Was Iraq a mistake, or wasn't it? He doesn't know. He says both in the same debate. I rub my hands in anticipation of the RNC's commercial on this.

10. No subways were closed during the Republican convention. Duh.

There's little I see for Kerry to work with coming out of this debate in a substantive way. Bush can make hay. Kerry can pump his fist in the air. I'd prefer both but given the choice, I'll take the hay.

Maybe I can Kerry my way out of these conflicting senses. Kerry's style was dramatically improved, but the substance of his answers is going to hurt him in the coming days... and I return to my prediction of last night, no dramatic movement in the polls in either direction.

KERRY'S FOCUS ON LEHRER VS. CLINTON'S STYLE

This Philadelphia Daily News columnist certainly liked W's style last night:

Instead, the champ at staying on message is still the undisputed George W. Bush.
How so?

Because of one moment that defined the debate and the race.

When debate moderator Jim Lehrer asked Bush if there are "character issues" that maybe should keep Kerry from being president, Bush showed he's a consummate politician.

He first did some aw-shucks plain-speak. "Whew, that's a loaded question."

See, he's just folks.

Then he graciously praised Kerry's service to country and family, calling him "a great dad," and even praised his service in the Senate.

It was Bush being the nice guy, the guy people like. Brilliant.

Then he hit Kerry with the message of the night, indeed the campaign:

"He changes positions."

It was the pat on the back before slipping in the shiv.

It fit perfectly with his performance throughout the 90-minute encounter.

Bush over and over tagged Kerry for changing his position on Iraq and said several times one can't lead if you say, as Kerry has, it's "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Ah repetition. The mother's milk of campaign victories.

Plus Bush looked the part: aggressive, firm, strong.

From the moment he stalked across the stage (first one out of the wings) to Kerry's podium to shake his hand, to his tight-lipped PO'd look caught on camera as Kerry sniped at him, as opposed to Kerry's smiling and nodding as Bush swiped at him.

(Don't you think they should have traded ties? Kerry wore red, Bush blue, but their states are just the opposite colors.)

When Kerry got to answer the "character" question, he floated off on something about stem-cell research and global warming (the debate topic was foreign policy and homeland security).

And the fact Kerry spoke to Lehrer and not to me and not to voters and seemed more intent on showing how much he knows rather than how much he cares? I just think that's a killer.


I don't know if that's a killer, but I'll point out that looking-to-the-camera focus was one of Bill Clinton's most powerful tools. He always knew which camera he should be looking to, and had a way of appearing to be talking to you from the other side of the glass, as opposed to a mere image on a screen.

The Kerry Spot on National Review Online