Carol Wolman
Jim Lehrer, the moderator, called Bush a liar
Fri Oct 1, 2004 04:03
64.140.158.60

Jim Lehrer, the moderator, called Bush a liar

Subject: The First Debate by Carol Wolman
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2004 23:26:55 -0700
From: carol wolman cwolman@mcn.org
To:
But from the wicked the light is withheld,
and the arm of pride is shattered.
Job 38: 14
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/100104.htm

I avoid TV in general, and Bush in particular, but I felt obligated to witness this important first encounter between the candidates. My purpose was to watch how Bush plays to his Christian base, and assess his performance.

Jim Lehrer, the moderator, called Bush a liar, and Kerry agreed with him. So do I. Bush is a wicked, arrogant man who lies very convincingly. He must be convincing, since about half the American people believe him, even though the headlines prove daily that his words have little relationship with reality.

Kerry had him on the defensive, a good trick, since as Bush himself says, "The best way to defeat the enemy is to attack, and keep him on the run." The swift boat smears are a good example of how Bush will stoop to any measures to maintain the offensive.

Kerry had Bush defending his "coalition", his "inclusion" of the UN, his piddling attempts to beef up security at our ports, subway, chemical and nuclear plants, and above all, his decision to go into Iraq. Over and over again, Bush resorted to his arrogance: "I'm the Commander-in Chief and people have to follow me" rather than giving any rationale for his actions.

The headlines today, screaming about more violence in Iraq, back up Kerry's assertion that the Iraqis consider us occupiers, not liberators. It was refreshing to hear him say that the Iraqis suspect that we plan to control their oil, and that we should make it clear that we have no such intentions.

Kerry pointed out a couple of times that the only building guarded from vandalism after the "war was won" was the oil ministry, not the defense ministry, which might have contained maps with the whereabouts of the mythical WMD's, which, if one can remember back through all Bush's flip-flop rationales, was the reason given for the invasion.

I read some of the comments about the debate on the CNN website around 10 pm. Most were pro-Kerry, but there were several from Bush faithfuls, who were pleased with their hero's poise, clarity and firmness. I'm not surprised. Bush was playing to them, not to people who follow intelligent reasoning. Kerry attacked him on this, pointing out that it's not enough to be resolute, people also expect the commander-in-chief to be smart and to use good judgment.

Kerry did well. The question is whether the American people will respond to his good sense, or to Bush's emotional appeal. "There are people out there filled with hate, who want to destroy us, because we are spreading liberty and freedom."

Christianity is a rich, complex religion, not simplistic, as the religious right would have us believe. Jesus taught that one must be willing to lay down one's life for the truth. Bush is a liar, and Kerry is telling the truth, in many areas. I pray that the Christians in this country will see the truth and shatter the arm of pride currently occupying our seat of government.

In the name of the God of truth, Carol Wolman
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Early polls indicated Americans felt Kerry had won the debate. Fifty-three percent of Americans polled in a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll said Kerry had won, compared to 37% for Bush. Kerry also was ahead in polls taken by CBS News and ABC News.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-30-debate_x.htm