Not surprisingly, the race for the presidency is a horse race again after John Kerry's defeat--not drubbing--of George W. Bush in Thursday evening's debate. Newsweek's much publicized poll depicts Kerry holding a 47 to 45 percentage point lead against the president. I don't doubt Kerry improved his prospects with his strong showing in the debate. I do doubt the Newsweek poll. It's important to recognize that the Newsweek poll relies on registered voters. Respectable polls, generally, report the attitudes of likely voters. When Kerry leads in a poll of likely voters, we can again say that the Massachusetts senator is ahead. Until then, it's safe to say he's got the "big mo." It's not accurate to say he has taken the lead.

When you consider the lack of intelligence out there among the masses, it's no surprise that they dislike this guy one second and then, when he's slicked them up with B.S., like him the next.

Only good news about this is that "National Polls" are taken using a sample of about 1200 to 1500 people. And, in most cases, not likely voters so they can be virtually useless.

Let's hope that's the case.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that up 'til now, the only things we've heard from Kerry have been what the Republicans say he said, filtered further through media sound bytes. This is the first time we've heard Kerry speak for himself. Funny how that changes things.

What did Kerry say exactly? A lot of "I have a plan"; might as well have been a "secret plan" for all the details he gave. Something about waging a "smarter and tougher" war against terrorism. Hard to get more platitudinous than that. And the mere fact that he didn't say "I disagree with myself" somehow showed (in the face of a mountain of evidence to the contrary) that he possesses conviction.

John Kerry and John Edwards' plan to build a stronger economy will:

Create Good-Paying Jobs
As president, John Kerry will cut taxes for businesses that create jobs here in America instead of moving them overseas. John Kerry and John Edwards will also stand up for workers by enforcing our trade agreements.

Cut Middle-Class Taxes To Raise Middle-Class Incomes
When John Kerry is president, middle-class taxes will go down. Ninety-eight percent of all Americans and 99 percent of American businesses will get a tax cut under the Kerry-Edwards plan.

Make Washington Live Within A Budget
John Kerry will cut the deficit in half during his first four years in office. He will end corporate welfare as we know it, roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and impose a real cap to keep spending in check. And when John Kerry puts forward a new idea, he'll tell you how he's going to pay for it.

Invest In The Jobs Of Tomorrow
Today, businesses are harnessing new technology to manufacture energy-efficient cars, high-grade steel, advanced plastics and other new products. And this requires a bigger, skilled labor force to make them. John Kerry and John Edwards believe we should invest in these jobs and invest in the people who will fill them.
http://www.johnkerry.com/index.html

I'm sorry to post directly from the site. I won't go into the other sections of the site, but it's apparent from the posts here that most people are still getting their information about Kerry from Bush. I guess I'm an oddball, but I don't want to hear you talk about the Bahamas. I want to go to the Bahamas.

So to tell me what he said in the debate you are quoting from his website?

What's more, I'm fairly certain that the debate was on foreign policy. Is there anything on that website about Iraq other than Kerry's silly promise to get France and Germany involved (that'll really stem the tide, the crack, German and French militaries roaring into Fallujah).

What were Bush's specifics? Kerry said if you wanted more details go to his website. The answers were 2 minutes long. It's hard to squeeze any depth of detail into a 2 minute answer.

The things that're missing in all of this are Bush's details. Where are they? In the debate his details consisted of "This is a hard job." "There's no doubt this is a hard job." "Believe me it's a hard job." "It's like a huge tax gap." (As he flips his blond pony tail back and forth chewing bubble gum) "And so, the answer to your question is: When our general is on the ground and Ambassador Negroponte tells me that Iraq is ready to defend herself from these terrorists, that elections will have been held by then, that their stability and that they're on their way to, you know, a nation that's free; that's when." HOW? WHEN? Big promises of the calibre that said the Iraqis would be throwing flower petals as our American soldiers marched into welcoming cities and towns. These sound almost as detailed as Kerry's. Again, I ask, where are Bush's details?

Bush's strategy was (and has been) clearly articulated: (1) train Iraqi security and military to replace American soldiers, and (2) hold elections to connect the Iraqi people with their regime.

What would Kerry do. Enlist Germany and France? That's a joke. Withdraw our troops in six months? That would be a disaster. Disparage our troops before Congress as murderers? That's more likely.

Bush's strategery has been total foobar. We've trained a few Iraqi reserves, but not nearly enough to mean anything. Iraqis, somewhat like everyone else, aren't jumping at the chance to die. The whole self-preservation thing is a very universal principle, except amongst those we are fighting against. Elections, when and if they come, don't change much. Democracy means little when the people you've democratized don't want it or you.

Hey Patrick, know of what you're writing before you write it! FUBAR is a military acronym that you might want to learn for yourself. Because your logic IS FUBAR!

I love it when these inexperienced little geeks who are probably not tax payers write in with liberal their views on life.

Experience. Learn. Then comment.

We're not in the military, we're on the Internet.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=foobar&r=f

Very good Patrick. Just know of what you speak before communicating something.

ASDF I think you have rabies. Just because you have an inane hatred of anyone left of Hitler, doesn't mean you have anything good to say. Put your head back in your ass. Cheers.

Hey Freck: sounds like you're swimming in a shallow gene pool there.

Clever.

Freckleton has a great surname. Real or not.

The problem with the two candidates is that they are in fundamental agreement about American policy in the Middle East. It was interesting that in a debate solely on foreign policy and focusing on the Middle East that each candidate only mentioned Israel once. Bush said that a free Iraq will set a good example in the region and "a free Iraq will help secure Israel."

Kerry said something really outrageous if taken literally when he said "I'm going to get it right [the situation in Iraq] for those soldiers, because it's important to Israel, it's important to America, it's important to the world, it's important to the fight on terror." I am so glad that Kerry thinks to put Israel's interests ahead of America's, even if just in listing off reasons for getting Iraq straightened out. Clearly, Kerry is throwing the neocons a bone.

The disputes between the Kerry supporters and the Bush supporters on this site are fascinating for showing what a silly "family" tiff this election has become. The two parties are both in agreement that Iraq should have been invaded and now they are just play-tussling over how the country is "democratized." "Who has a Plan? Do you have a Plan? Where is the Plan? Kerry is the Man with the Plan? Let me see his Plan! My Plan is better than your Plan!" Stroopid.

Conservatives who correctly saw that the war in Iraq was a vast mistake that would cost Bush the presidency (though that isn't what bothered us about it) have no party in this dispute. If any of us vote for Bush it should be on the ultra-thin grounds that Bush may be chastened by a narrow victory and dump the neocons, while Kerry would be quite emboldened by even a narrow victory over an incumbent war president and would feel justified in wreaking complete havoc on the country and the world.

Freckleton, a few posts back, you wrote how Kerry/Edwards were going to save this country and it sounded like (and probably was) something from a campaign ad.

Reality is John Kerry is the most liberal member of the Senate, he's consistently voted for higher taxes across the board, he has consistently voted against military expanse and spending, he has spent many years in the Senate and that time he has used to sponsor only eight major pieces of legislation. Rest of the time he's been AWOL.

He won't create jobs; he won't cut taxes (on the contrary) and he won't make us safer.

Edwards is just a rich trial lawyer who has not even finished his first term in the Senate and who, by all accounts, would not have been voted back for another term.

This is the ticket that will be good for America?

Conservatism is a slippery slope to Nazism. Just look at how these fools spurt the venom of Minister of Information and Propaganda Sean "Himmler" Hannity as the truth.