George W. Bush vs. John F. Kerry
POST-DEBATE ANALYSIS By Ryan Smith & Nathan Hathaway
GEORGE W. BUSH
Appearance
The president came off as being slightly cocky, exuding confidence in
exhibiting his usual “Texas swagger.” Bush appeared flustered
and impatient at times with Kerry’s answers, often shaking his head
and furrowing his brow. But while answering questions, he appeared very
casual, often times leaning against the lectern and speaking conversationally
to moderator Jim Lehrer, the crowd and the camera.
Homeland Security
“I wake up every day thinking about how best to protect America,”
Bush fired back at Kerry at one point. “That’s my job.”
He tied homeland security to the war on terror by contending that “the
best way to protect this homeland is to stay on the offense.” Bush
reminded Kerry his administration had “tripled the amount of money
we’re spending on homeland security.” He followed the statement
by reminding Kerry that it was he who created the Department of Homeland
Security. He also brought up border and port control and the Patriot Act.
Foreign Policy
While he didn’t say anything that hadn’t been said in his
previous speeches, he sought to reinforce his stance on terror, specifically
nuclear proliferation and the issue of North Korea’s nuclear disarmament.
Bush spent most of his time casting doubt on Kerry’s ability to
lead the nation in a time of global unrest. Bush spent the rest of the
time trying to deflect criticism about his inability to muster more international
support.
Iraq
As usual, Bush went on the offensive when the debate turned to the war
in Iraq. He moved quickly to point out Kerry’s inconsistencies on
the war and sought to prove that his leadership was the key in defeating
Saddam Hussein’s regime. When Kerry asked how two allies—Great
Britain and Australia—comprised “a grand coalition,”
Bush smirked and said, “Actually, he forgot Poland.” Again,
Bush seemed very confident in himself during this portion of the debate.
He criticized Kerry for portraying what he called the wrong message and
said that “The biggest disaster that could happen is that we not
succeed in Iraq.”
Overall Performance
While Bush looked restless and disdainful during Kerry’s speeches,
he appeared passionate about his stance on Iraq and the need to protect
the country. He questioned Kerry’s ability to lead the nation’s
military while preaching a message of “wrong war, wrong place, wrong
time.” He used a lot of non-verbal cues that punctuated his message.
Bush’s mannerisms gave off a carefree impression, like this debate
wasn’t necessary to win re-election.
JOHN F. KERRY
Appearance
Kerry seemed very aware that the camera might always be on him. He seemed
considerably more reserved than Bush and had a more professional demeanor.
While Bush moved uneasily behind the lectern during Kerry’s speeches,
Kerry looked very organized both in his delivery and when Bush had the
floor. The senator took notes during Bush’s remarks and looked to
be preparing rebuttals. Unlike Bush, he showed little emotion throughout
most of the debate.
Edge: Kerry
Homeland Security
Kerry knew that it was important to set himself apart from Bush’s
homeland security policies. He openly criticized the president’s
stateside policies as being detrimental to the country and said his policies
would solve the problems that Bush had neglected to address. Kerry said
that while Bush was more concerned with spending money on Iraq, he would
take that money to support police and fire departments, upgrade security
for subway systems and focus on border and port control. Kerry pointedly
asked the audience if they felt safer knowing that Bush wasn’t concerned
about those issues. He added “what kind of mixed message does it
send when you have $500 million going over to Iraq to put police officers
in the streets of Iraq, and the president is cutting the COPS program
in America?”
Edge: Kerry
Foreign Policy
Kerry was quick to point out that Bush went to war with Iraq based on
weapons of mass destruction, yet the United States hadn’t found
any. Kerry drove the point home that he felt nuclear proliferation was
the single most important issue facing the United States. While the Bush
administration was hung up on Iraq, other countries, Kerry said, like
Iran, Syria and North Korea posed much more serious threats. Turning the
“flip-flop” issue back on Bush, he questioned the administrations
experimentation with nuclear bunker-busting bombs. “You talk about
mixed messages. We’re telling other people, ‘You can’t
have nuclear weapons,’ but we’re pursuing a new nuclear weapon
that we might even contemplate using,” Kerry said toward the end
of the debate.
Edge: Kerry
Iraq
Kerry spent most of the debate over Iraq trying to discredit Bush as a
global leader against terrorism. He questioned why Bush’s administration
abandoned the search for Osama bin Laden and instead pursued Saddam Hussein
after Sept. 11 though he had no connection to the attacks. Kerry even
used Bush’s father against him in his argument against the war in
Iraq, saying that, in the first Gulf War, George H.W. Bush didn’t
go any farther into the country than Basra because he knew there was no
exit strategy. Kerry said it was essential for the United States to regain
its credibility, establish a stronger international coalition and re-enact
diplomatic avenues in Iraq.
Edge: Bush
Overall Performance
Kerry started the debate rather subdued. It was imperative for Kerry to
be aggressive and direct with Bush. Not until about halfway through the
debate did Kerry really start to pressure Bush’s policies. He also
looked to support his leadership skills, often times referring to his
war record. Overall, the debate provided Kerry with the forum to clarify
his policies and re-establish his leadership abilities. This combination
was exactly what Kerry needed to help close the gap in the polls.
Edge: Kerry
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