"THE FUTURE BELONGS TO FREEDOM, NOT TO FEAR"

It's probably sad that the moment I heard that line uttered tonight, I immediately knew it didn't come from the pen of a president or a presidential candidate, but some intellect in the silent background making peanuts and getting no credit.

*****

I wrote notes because I got well high (as anyone should, when watching a presidential debate) - so here they go, not in any particular partisan fashion:

1:55 am - Some talking head mentions that the debate "strips" the candidates of their advisors and their multi-million dollar election machines.

1:57 am- I switch to fair and balanced FOX whose talking heads go on about "mano a mano" and the question on everyone's lips is "what are we looking for?"

2:02 am- "This is it," says Wolf Blitzer from CNN. No one is on stage yet but I wonder who will be the first to enter. As it turns out, after Jim Lehrer's opening ceremonies, Bush comes out first, strident, hand-shaking, a man among men.

(now after here, I lose already the time markers, so I'll just write the comments:)

They show a countdown box to the debate. I am immediately reminded of when some networks had a count down clock before the invasion of Iraq.

I learn that Jim Lehrer is a 9 time vet of this sort of moderating presidential debates.

I start trying to calculate in my head, is that 9 times each election or 9 times over 9 elections - so I think 9 times 4 years in between debates is 36 years and then I start wondering if it's possible that Jim Lehrer has been moderating presidential debates since he was 13.

Who is on the commission of the presidential debates? They have a commission, but they don't mention themselves anywhere.

They ask the crowd to be silent and I wonder how they will manage that in these charged times, but they do, monitor themselves - well perhaps there was a big man with a bludgeon coercing them, but the cameras weren't focusing on that of course, SHHHHHH, just the two people wanting to be president.

Immediately, I recognise Kerry's most read words: "I'll Never..." do this or that.

A person who says never is not being honest.

*****

Fuck, I have these notes written all over the page I wrote on and they're all highlighted and starred and circled, etc because each of it seemed at the time, important. In hindsight, who knows?

*****

One thing is that Lehrer asks great questions - the bit about asking Bush to comment on his "opponent's" character was almost entrapment. But they both came out of that round well, praising one anothers' daughters and kissing each others' arses.

"Our prayers are with...if free nations stop terror..."

Kerry comments, using hot key words, ouch, "outsourcing" military that failed in Tora Bora to kill Osama -

"Plan for victory" - good one, both say it and it means equally nothing.

Kerry with a devastating blow, quotes Bush's own father's book about Iraq and what a mistake invading Iraq would be to take it because of the chaos it would cause resultantly. Ouch.

Bush says we'll love our allies but we'll protect ourselves at home first.

Duh, who the fuck wouldn't - now Kerry is hammering home, protect sure, but HOW? Your way or mine?

Bush's most canned statement: "WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS BUT IT'S HARD WORK"

An empty vessel. I'm wondering to myself, is anyone SEEING this? Bush stuttering around even his favourite clichés, staring off into space, fighting the good fight.

Kerry keeps mentioning 90% of the dead troops in Iraq are American and 90% of the money spent on Iraq is American. There is no coalition. Powerful point.

Suddenly they acknowledge that they're both Elis - oh, please can this be a happy moment in American political history - that both candidates are Yale graduates??!! -- Hoo-Haa! Where are the Ivy League cheerleaders?

Very important distinction we'll all have to make our minds up about:

Kerry says Bush is Certain, but even when you're certain you can be wrong.

Bush's reply is HE has "core values" -

SO there you go Blue -

What is it? Certainty or Core Values?

*****

Nuclear proliferation - I leave this debate realising what a great new talking point it is for everyone. Kerry introduced it and Bush followed, in a reluctant, unprepared sort of way.

Somehow, in the debate of American security, Bush brings back the missile defence thing. Can any of you Bush lovers out there explain the logic of that one?

How many missiles were they on 9/11, I forget...

Both of them close with bible quotes, or mention god or something - mumbo jumbo pandering to those assholes busy fucking up America on the Christian Right and in the South and Midwest of America. Shame on you all.

*****

Worst part is the talking heads aferwards. That they bathe in their partisan responses, that they make their living off it, that they have no integrity, that they prefer to be caracatures rather than intellects.

Shame on them too. Maybe even behead them. :)

Well that's it, the wrap up from American tv I watched in Shakespeare's Country.

A pile of rubbish.

And the more we learn to appreciate the finer palate of rubbish, the more happy we will be to consume it.

There's your presidential elections.

threefour, chachacha

The Staff at Desultory Turgescence wishes you all a happy election.