THE WORRIED
CHEERLEADER
After what was unquestionably the worst presidential debate performance
in US history, George W. Bush was faced with mission impossible in his
second debate with John Kerry.
For Bush, the omens were not good. Earlier in the week, Bush had been
assailed by his own people. Against a backdrop of beheadings and
bombings, former US proconsul in Iraq, Paul Bremer, said that America
does not have an adequate number of troops on the ground to restore
order in post-Saddam Iraq. To make matters worse, Bush's Secretary of
Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, repudiated the notion that there was ever any
credible link between Saddam and Al-Qaida, which had been one of the two
central planks in Bush's war platform.
But even worse news was on the way. The official report by the Iraq
Survey Group (ISG) was finally published. The author of the ISG report,
Charles Duelfer, concluded that the last WMDs left Iraq in 1991
approximately twelve years before Bush ordered the costly US-led
invasion to destroy them.
At the end of the week, The Bureau of Labor Statistics chimed in as
well, releasing the latest job creation statistics that damaged Bush
even further on his way into the St. Louis debate by reporting a hugely
disappointing result of only 96,000 new jobs in September, reaffirming
both the weakened economy and Bush's stupendously poor record for job
creation. In the realm of US jobs lost and created, Bush can now only be
compared with Herbert Hoover.
What was Bush to do?
Whatever his game-plan in advance of this crucial debate, Bush reverted
to type. Bush has become a mere cheerleader for his failed policies, and
it is actually quite embarrassing to watch the spectacle of a man who
never should have been nominated by any major party floundering in an
office for which he is so painfully unsuited.
During the first debate, Bush had grimaced. He had scowled. He had
sighed. He was frequently at a loss for words. He had made a truly
humiliating series of facial contortions that actually shocked the
world.
This week, after being forced to watch a tape of his dreadful
performance in the first debate, Bush attempted to correct the most
egregious gaucheries of his - shall we say - peculiar body language. The
result was barely any better. The sitting US president was successful in
transforming his trademark scowl into a twisted but witless smile.
With the left corner of his mouth pointing upward and the right corner
of his mouth pointing downward, Bush attempted to put what he deemed to
be a brave face on his second prime time tongue lashing by Senator John
Kerry. When given his chance to speak, the Hyde-faced Bush reverted to
his Jekyllian type - that of a dubious cheerleader now hate-mongering
all "liberals" while advocating a series of lost causes.
Cast in this difficult role, Bush could not avoid appearing to be a
seriously worried cheerleader whose team was entering a slump in the
closing weeks of the championship season.
Bush's repetitious characterizations of Kerry as "inconsistent" and
"liberal" were the all too familiar chants that had been drilled into
his brain by his apparently exhausted speech coaches. He had little more
in the way of genuine ammunition with which to assail his opponent.
Perhaps, the most memorable comment he made all evening was that he was
"worried" about the future of America. "I'm worried," Bush implored to
the town hall audience.
Following his debate performance, I can see why he is worried, and so
can the vast television audience that watched this debate. Bush is
worried that he is inadequate for his job. I am worried about his
inadequacies, too. Deeply worried.
For his part, John Kerry lambasted Bush with a stunning concatenation of
facts, statistics and logical conclusions. He pledged not to raise taxes
on the middle class. He exposed Bush as repeatedly and serially
incompetent in foreign relations and domestic policy.
Perhaps, the defining moments of the debate came during the religious
exchanges over stem cell research. Kerry's position - against theocratic
restraints on scientific research - clearly resonated with the vast
majority of Americans, while Bush's extremist and blatantly theocratic
ideology appeals to a far narrower band in the spectrum of public
opinion, even in overly zealous America.
There is no doubt who won this debate. The team of right-wing observers
on Fox all awarded the palm to Kerry.
________________
Junkie Editor Michael
Carmichael is now a
Contributing Editor with The Planetary Movement. The Planetary Movement is a
global not for profit organisation that supports the growth and
expansion of democracy, justice and environmental preservation.
TPJ congratulates Michael on his association with The Planetary
Movement. Michael’s writing deserves the attention it is receiving
nationally and internationally. TPJ is grateful that Michael has
provided his distinguished writings to TPJ over the past several years.
A “Junkie” done good!
