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Second Presidential Debate

So here we are again. Another presidential debate and I had my fresh bag of popcorn.

I'll keep this one short tonight. Wow, president Bush suprised me this evening. He was much more energetic this time. At one point he flew off his chair and lunged at Kerry's response.

John Kerry made sure to remind president Bush tonight that yesterday the Duelfer report showed that Iraq hasn't had weapons of mass destruction since 1991. He also brought up the fact that when Bush came into office there was a $5.6 trillion surplus where now we have a $2.6 trillion deficit. Kerry promised he would give a tax cut to people making less than $200,000 a year.

Bush countered with saying that Kerry was "just not credible when talking about being fiscally responsible. And that was about it. He didn't respond to the comment made on the Duelfer report. He did, however, respond about the deficit by saying it was already on the decline when he came into office and said that he had prior information that it would continue to decline.

Both men spoke a little about Healthcare and ended with topics about abortion. When asked how each man would reply to someone who came to them asking not to have their tax money support abortion, Kerry replied by saying that even though his personal religion forbids abortion he could not justify stopping abortions by enforcing his religion on others. Bush repied by saying flat out that he would not let tax payer's money support abortion.

Both men clearly have different positions on different topics. I still believe this is going to be a close race in the end. My one comment on tonight's debate would be "If you back president Bush into a corner be prepared to see him jump off his chair in an excited response." I can't wait for the next debate. Until then, I’ll keep the popcorn popping.


Vice Presidential Debate

Once again I was prepared to sit down with a bowl of popcorn and get ready for another [vice] presidential debate. What I was not prepared for was Dick Cheney and John Edwards sparring it out tonight. I'm glad I had the popcorn on hand :)

The issues were pretty much the same as last week’s debate between Bush and Kerry. Although I personally feel that Edwards did a better job under the pressure, Cheney seemed to be more at ease tonight and stayed his course.

John Edwards started out with both fists flying tonight. At first Cheney didn’t react too much to these fighting words, but when he was ready he threw a few of his own blows. Because Cheney usually has a laid-back disposition I was taken aback with some of his forceful reactions. I found their back-and-forth bickering hilarious and couldn’t help myself but to burst out loud laughing at times during their fierce wrestling match.

From what reactions I've seen so far most people seem to agree that Cheney did a better job overall tonight.

I'm on the fence on deciding who did better tonight. John Edwards was more passionate about his views for the country's future where Cheney's relaxed mood was evident while he kept his views consistent to leave the country’s direction on the same track it’s been on lately (with only minor changes to things like healthcare). Cheney’s matured experience clearly showed in his demeanor where Edwards seemed to blush with embarrassment when confronted about changing the question's topic (an easy mistake, but the reaction could have been better).

Overall these are trivial things to pick on at best, so my personal views weren't changed about who I plan to vote for (which I’ll keep to myself for the time being).

I am probably a little biased towards my personal views but I do keep an open mind when watching these debates. Both sides consistently bring up important topics which I feel strongly about. At this point I can safely say that this will be a close race. I am eager to watch the remaining debates and see where the candidates take us next. Until then, I’ll keep the popcorn popping.





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