All this talk of debates got me thinking back to the Presidential Debates of 2004...

[calmblueocean]

<<Warning: Political Nostalgia Alert>>

You know, it took me a long time to warm up to John Kerry, but I remember watching him in those debates and feeling a sense of pride suddenly bursting forth inside me. Kerry was outstanding. The former prosecutor in him came out and demolished Bush. Relentlessly. Issue after issue, he took Bush apart and made W look like the buffoon he is, sputtering "You fergot PO-land!" and mumbling on about rumors on "the internets". So many good memories.

I've been enjoying these debates between Obama and Hillary, but no matter which of them ultimately debates McCain, I don't expect the kind of fireworks I felt in 2004. Kerry lost that year not due to any defect in his performance, but due to a defect in the American people. They preferred war over peace that year, ignorance over knowledge, fear over wisdom. And that's what they got. Unfortunately, that's what the rest of us who didn't vote for Bush got, too. It's what the whole world got.

John Kerry wasn't always the best campaigner, or the best speechmaker, but he shined over those 3 debates in 2004, and gave me hope in a way that still lingers on, even now. Tonight, I just sorta missed him. He would've made a great president.