I have such a sense of foreboding about the debate tonight. It should be the greatest moment of possibility for the Kerry campaign, since the topic is the same one Kerry's been hammering for two weeks and represents at once the centerpiece of the Bush presidency and his greatest point of weakness with the American voter. Unfortunately, the rules of the debate are such that it may be impossible to engage the president at all, and Bush's inconsistencies, confusions, and outright lies about Iraq will go unchallenged. I can't see how the Kerry handlers allowed this to happen -- surely they recognized that this debate is the most important, both for the campaign and the democratic process! Now, instead of the discussion about American foreign policy that Americans so critically need, we're likely to hear 90 minutes of rehashed stump speeches.
If Kerry has a winning strategy, it's to find a sympathetic way to break the rules outright (and possibly often). This might just allow some real debate, could have the added benefit of infuriating Bush on stage, and would show the world that Kerry has some cojones...
Post a comment