BUSH TEAM WANTS TWO DEBATES

[Placebo]

President Bush may skip one of the three debates that have been proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates... MORE... Bush's negotiating team plans to resist the middle debate, which was to be Oct. 8 in a town meeting format in Missouri // audience of 'undecided voters' for second debate was to be picked by Gallup. Bush officials were concerned that people could pose as undecided when they actually are partisans, WASH POST planning to report in new editions, newsroom sources tell DRUDGE... Developing...

[MidwestTransplant]

1. Can't stand to be near people who don't follow him 100%

[Whoa_Nelly]

116. Re: Bush may skip one debate

I can't afford to make LD calls right now, but whoever can, please call the Commission on Presidential Debates (CDP) at [phone]. Find out what is the proposed second debate topic, and should Bush not attend, will Kerry and the (Bush) empty chair be there, or will the debate be cancelled completely.

Thanks

CDP website:
http://www.debates.org/index.html

[wicket]

2. COWARD!!!!!

[stepnw1f]

3. Demand 3.

[Frodo]

55. Or else?

[Carla in Ca]

87. Or else he can watch Mr. Kerry

conducting the debate by himself. Bush will be AWOL yet again.

[Frodo]

97. He'd have to get help from the networks.

Not sure they would play along.

[stepnw1f]

120. Hahahaha

I guess we'll have to wait and see how the public reacts.

[Pirate Smile]

4. Carville and Begala should still have the Chicken George Costume.

[Renew Deal]

5. Kerry should show up and do the town hall himself.

No negotiations.

[Cha]

7. Exactly! Good Idea!

Let the Undecideds decide!

[xray s]

9. absolutely

Do it John!

[Leilani]

10. Exactly!

Kerry should announce he will be there, regardless of whether Bush shows up or not.

The Kerry campaign should also question Dubya s bravado...

[mmonk]

17. Bingo!

[Kadie]

23. Absolutely! n/t

[MajorFlaw]

32. Agreed, but once Kerry makes it clear that he intends to show up and

answer questions alone, shrub will change his mind and show up himself. As he demonstrated with the 9/11 Commission and the Dep't of Homeland Security, once the shrub realizes that the other side isn't going to blink he quickly caves in. Just a hunch, although the picture of Kerry debating an empty chair would write its own punchlines.

[Renew Deal]

38. Someone here suggested that Kerry should say

that Bush can bring Cheney with him if he feels uncomfortable.

[Pirate Smile]

40. That would be a great mocking, disdainful comment to use on Shrub.

[MajorFlaw]

43. Kerry wouldn't have to say anything; the empty chair would speak

volumes. But, if he's in a feisty mood, he might look around the stage a bit and then say, Hmmm, reminds me of Vietnam."

[mom cat]

64. That suggestion is delicious. Pass it on to the campaign!

[Mokito]

94. Well that would make * look the flip-flopper, wouldn't it?

[TryingToWarnYou]

35. Excellent idea! I hope they do it.

[Bertrand]

46. Is this a tactic to lower expectations like the last debate cycle v Gore?

I cant figure out any politically legitimate reason for the Bush camp to pull out of a debate, even with the prospect of a poor showing.

[Mokito]

95. Indeed, they are probably hoping that the Dems make a big fuss

about the debate. So * can reluctantly agree to do debate and become the instant "good guy".

That's why I like the idea of not fighting their decision to pull out of debates and just say; "Okay, you do what you want, but we are going to have that debate, with or without you."

[mom cat]

63. Perfect solution.

[LiberalFighter]

82. gw* AWOL?

Need I say more?

[okieinpain]

83. damn good idea, damn good.

[Thor_MN]

86. You never negotiate with a terrorist

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

107. I think that would sway people's minds - good idea!

[Cha]

6. That's what I'm talkin' about...he's a Yellow Bellied

COWARD! I hate him squatting in our Nation's House.

And I hate magazines having him and his damn family on their front covers like they were normal or something.

[DS1]

8. Afraid of his employers (voters) what a surprise

chickenshit

[Jawja]

102. A small clarification:

his employers are not the voters, but the multinational oil companies and corporations that bankrolled his theft of the Presidency in 2000.

[rocktivity]

11. Let him skip it--Kerry can do it without him

:headbang:
rocknation

[depakid]

12. Kerry has an opening here

to make an issue Bush's cowardice and highlight the incidents where people have been arrested or barred from his campaign events. That would be a very powerful and persuasive commercial.

[Bread and Circus]

26. good point.

[The Straight Story]

13. what is the avg

And how many debates over the last 50 years or so in presidential elections?

[dogtag]

14. AND in those two debates

he wants the only subject of debate to be The Pet Goat!

[fortyfeetunder]

99. Forgot to add his favorite book

The Hungry Caterpillar. One book per debate. Read upside down.

[goodboy]

15. COWARD!!!!!! N freaking T

[IndianaGreen]

16. Anyone that is undecided about this election is either a liar or an idiot

They remind me of those prospective jurors on a high profile case that perjure themselves when they say they have never heard of the case or the defendant. Jacko who?

[MuseRider]

18. How is anyone supposed to decide?

If you can't get in to see them without a loyalty oath and an under your shirt check then how does anyone who is undecided hear what they have to say? If they do not debate then how does anyone hear what they have to say besides the media sound bites? THEY WORK FOR US and we pay them so WTF is this and how can that little sneak get away with this? Yes, Kerry should insist and show up and use all the time to point these things out. I hate these guys and would not walk across the room to spit on them but they owe us *every one of us* the chance to hear them.

[ogradda]

19. hehehehe

widdle chicken lolololol

[liveoaktx]

20. and what about what We the People want? Don't we DESERVE

to see as much of that coward as possible? I hope Kerry doesn't give in to this-it's not like Bush has spent any time governing lately anyway, what else does he have to do, besides more vacay at the pig farm?

[hang a left]

69. I am probably going out on a limb here but...........

Is there any kind of mass mailing or petition driven drive that the voters could use to force all 3 debates?

Just asking.

Clueless in San Diego.

[louis-t]

21. Coward

'Bush officials were concerned that people could pose as undecided when they actually are partisans' Hmmm, they're more paranoid than ever.

[bluestateguy]

22. Why am I not surprised

Bush officials were concerned that people could pose as undecided when they actually are partisans, WASH POST planning to report in new editions, newsroom sources tell DRUDGE... Developing...

Yes, perhaps they could. People on our side and their side too. Are they admitting that they are too chickenshit to face tough, unscripted questions? Cowards and chickenhawks.

[Lisa]

24. "people could pose as undecided"

They should know! I bet they've pulled that exact stunt hundreds of times, in the staged photo-ops.

[Placebo]

27. Exactly!

[Rose Siding]

25. Just like on West Wing

The "ten word answer" candidate didn't want to actually face a brainy adversary.

[Frodo]

56. On West Wing the challenger got it down to ONE debate.

But what a great episode!

[Rose Siding]

81. The challenger agreed to 2 debates

Then Bartlet offered him just 1 (knowing the guy would prefer zero) *if* Bartlet could dictate the format. So they ended up doing one.

[Whoa_Nelly]

28. The debate schedule is already decided

I don;t think even Bush has the power to make this be changed.

see schedule here:
http://www.debates.org/

[napi21]

31. I doubt he can change the schedule, but he can decline to attend.

I think he can chose 1, 2, or all 3, but can't change any of the dates or formats.

BTW, I do think it's a great move for Kerry to attend, and have them set up two places at the table, and also show the empty chair!!!! What a great image to project across the entire country!!!

[The King]

101. how many did Clinton do with Dole

the last incumbent President was Clinton against Dole, if clinton allowed more than two then it would seem like Chimpy isn't playing fair. I think Clinton gave him maybe four or five-- does anyone knwo the truth? We need to beat this into the media and demand our fair chance to tell the truth...

[Frodo]

105. Clinton and Dole had two debates.

As I suspect you well knew before you posted.

[Mike Daniels]

108. If Clinton did two, then why give Bush a hard time over the same thing

Sorry, but this is stupid. Clinton begged out of one of the three proposed debates in 1996 over the lame excuse of preparing for some UN speech.

Once again, if your guy does it, it's not a problem - if the other side's guy does it then it's "bitch, moan, bitch, moan".

[Frodo]

109. This happens EVERY cycle

The guy who thinks he's behind and has to play catch-up (must... let... pun... slide...) always calls for frequent debates. Sometimes weekly, sometimes (if really desperate) "every day from now to the election".

The guy who thinks he's ahead wants to limit the number of chances the other team has to pull ahead. Espetially if he's the incumbent. Putting two men on the same stage behind podiums on an equal footing allows the image to settle in that BOTH are on a level playing field. It gives the challenger the opportunity to "look presidential".

The supporters of one guy will always yell "Chicken!", but that's the price you pay for cutting off debates.


I predict it WILL be three deabtes, but in formats preferred by the Bush camp.

[hang a left]

71. From Your link;

Commission on Presidential Debates Announces Moderators



August 13, 2004

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., and Paul G. Kirk, Jr., co-chairmen of the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), today announced moderators for the 2004 general election debates. The moderators, and the schedule and locations for the debates (as announced on November 6, 2003), are as follows:

First presidential debate:
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Thursday, September 30
Jim Lehrer
Anchor and Executive Editor, The NewsHour, PBS

Vice presidential debate:
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, October 5
Gwen Ifill
Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour, and Moderator, Washington Week, PBS

Second presidential debate:
Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
Friday, October 8
Charles Gibson
Co-Anchor, ABC News Good Morning America

Third presidential debate:
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ
Wednesday, October 13
Bob Schieffer
CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent, and Moderator, Face the Nation

Each debate shall begin at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

[hang a left]

72. As well as this

Format

The format for the debates, as announced on June 17, 2004, shall be as follows:

Each debate shall have a single moderator and last for 90 minutes.
In the first and third presidential debates and the vice presidential debate the candidates shall be seated with the moderator at a table.
The first presidential debate shall focus primarily on domestic policy and the third presidential debate shall focus primarily on foreign policy. The second presidential debate shall be held as a town meeting in which citizens will pose questions to the candidates. The vice presidential debate shall cover both foreign and domestic policy topics.
There shall be no opening statements; there shall be two-minute closing statements.
The order of questioning and closing statements shall be determined by coin toss.
The moderator's job in the first and third presidential debates and the vice presidential debate will be to introduce and change topics, to ensure that the participants have equal time, and to encourage some direct exchange among the candidates. The moderators will select all topics and questions.
In the second presidential debate, the town meeting participants will pose their questions to the candidates. The town meeting participants will review their questions with the moderator before the debate for the sole purpose of avoiding duplicate questions. The participants in the town meeting, to be chosen by the Gallup Organization, will be undecided voters from the St. Louis, Missouri, standard metropolitan statistical area.
The moderators will have discretion to ask follow-up questions in all debates.
Each debate shall take place before a live audience.

Participants

The CPD's 2004 Nonpartisan Candidate Selection Criteria, announced September 24, 2003, shall be the exclusive means of determining the candidates to be invited to participate in the debates.

[fearnobush]

29. Sorry folks, this is just an other Rove move to manipulate the public

in to believing that the Chimp is a bad debater. Why on Earth do this... Well, remember that it worked quite well in 2000 when Bush wanted to back out of the debates intirely. Any one remember that?
What Kerry needs to do is ask Karl to stop playing games with the public because we all know he is a great debater. Bush beat Ann Richards and Gore. He is no debate pushover, all he has to do is lie and smile.

[Lerkfish]

111. he did already...on Daily show

Kerry praised Bush's debating skillz.

[wildflower]

113. right...and he should keep doing it, while insisting on this second debate

Kerry thrives on that kind of format. He can handle crowds of anyone, unscripted, whether they're "posing as undecideds" or not. * cannot.
This is why people going to see * must sign loyalty oaths.

I think a town-hall style debate would be perfect to showcase K's ability to think on his feet, his grasp of the issues, and his _genuine_ friendliness and willing to listen, even in the face of hostile questioning.

I believe he can counter the low-expectations game and insist on the debate at the same time.

-wildflower

P.S. And I do love the image of Kerry at a town-hall meeting with an empty chair beside him :)

[Hard Attack]

30. If This is True, Bush Really is a ChickenHawk

If Bush Can't Stand Up to Kerry, How can He Stand up to the Terrorists?

This Story Ironically Came out Today,,,,

''Bush Camp Names Baker to Lead Debate Negotiations''

President Bush's re-election campaign turned to family confidant James Baker on Tuesday to lead negotiations over the number and terms of debates Bush will have with Democrat John Kerry.

Here is the Story...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040907/pl_nm/campaign_debates_dc_1

[Mel]

33. Not good enough Bunny Pants!

I don't know about the rest of you but in 'the real world' some of us have to go through more than this to get a damn job at an upscale grocery store.
Nope Bush* your an ass clown if you think you can skip a debate and frankly I don't think three is enough. I think it ought to be single issue debates 10 or more.

If Bush* is to damn lazy to do three debates maybe he doesn't want the job bad enough!
Gore Vidal is correct Bush* is 'the yellow rose of Texas'

I ask you how many times can any of us tell a potential employer that we don't want to jump through their hoops and expect to get the job we are applying for? hummm could that number be Zero?

[Dem2theMax]

91. Oooooh, I LOVE this line of yours.

"If Bush* is to damn lazy to do three debates maybe he doesn't want the job bad enough!"

Sounds like something we need to repeat, LOUDLY and OFTEN.

[TryingToWarnYou]

34. What. A. Coward.

chickenshit george.

[LynneSin]

36. This is why Bush has NEVER won a debate

because he won't do a real debate. He can't take the heat so let's get him out of the kitchen

[TryingToWarnYou]

37. So terrorists arent nearly as scary as a debate??? Riiiiighhhht

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

39. KERRY NEEDS TO JUMP ON THIS IMMEDIATELY!!!!

Call Bush a "WIMP" NOW!!!!!!!!!

Make the point that "if he can't be strong enough to face a debate, then how strong will he be against the terrorists..."

JB

[Beetwasher]

41. I'm BEGGING Kerry to Question Bush's Manhood Over This!!! DO IT!!!

"What sort of a man is Mr. Bush that he has to hide from these debates? A real man stands up and fights for his positions against those who disagree! The American people deserve answers from Mr. Bush!"

[Placebo]

42. "You Can Always Bring Cheney Along, Mr President."

I love whoever proposed that line for Kerry to say! :thumbsup:

[LibDemAlways]

44. I hope Kerry quickly indicates that he intends to

show up to all three debates and will gladly take questions from Dems, Repukes, and undecideds. Force chimp to capitulate. Then on the night of the debate, turn to chimpy and with a big grin say, "Glad you could make it." Embarrass the crap out of him. Get him so flustered he'll drop the good-ole-boy persona and show his true nasty, unhinged colors. It wouldn't take much for the asshole to degenerate into Zelldom and come completely unglued.

[Lugnut]

47. That's perfect!

I like the way you think.

[crossroads]

73. Hear Hear!!! n/t

:dem:

[lagniappe]

45. Bush will be AWOL for the second debate.

Where is the 'War President' when Cheney does not hold his hand and the audience does not sign loyalty oaths? What a wuss!

[Catherine Vincent]

48. So Bush* and his people are afraid people will be partisans instead of

Independents? WHAT A BUNCH OF WUSSIES!!!!!!!!

[goforit]

49. loosers!!

[slinkerwink]

50. What a liver-waisted coward!

[PartyPooper]

51. Okay. John Kerry can debate a bottle of Jack Daniels as easy as Junior!

Bring it on!

:evilgrin:

[Mr_Spock]

52. AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again,

AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again, AWOL the COWARD strikes again,

[demgrrrll]

This is exactly how Baker negotiated for Poppy in 1988. He gave

Dukakis a 2 debate take it or leave it deal, they took the deal and probably should not have done so. Baker has been involved in debate negotiation for many years. If they agree to whatever these folks offer they lose. I was reading an article about the debate about debates and many times the debates are won and lost in the negotiations. I look back on the 2000 debates and the Lieberman/Cheney debacle. I think the atmosphere of that debate favored Cheney although Lieberman didn't really offer much of a challenge. I will be following these negotiations with great interest.

[notbush]

53. I heard a talking head, over the weekend, say Bush

would probably only go for 2 debates since he was now in pretty good shape in the polls. Said Clinton had done that to Dole in 96 so the Democrats couldn't really complain when they'd done the same thing.

[kstewart33]

54. Kerry has found his issue

Call Bush out on it. Call him spineless, running in fear from undecided voters, unable to face them. Make this a showdown issue. If Kerry does not max this, I am going to call his HQ and demand my contributions back.

[tuvor]

57. Why does bush get to decide the parameters?

Or is he only allowed to tell us his druthers?

BTW does drudge get to count it as a hit every time his silly siren loads?

[notbush]

59. The incumbent is always in the drivers seat in the debate negotiations.

The challenger typically "needs" the debates for than the incumbent.

[tuvor]

76. Ah. In other words bush is a pussy.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[robbedvoter]

58. I expect to see Kerry debating the empty chair...

[Comicstripper]

60. This happened in '80, too

Carter didn't want to debate with Anderson. Hurt his credibility.
Made him look like a coward.
Will John Kerry be our Ronald Reagan? (Or, I guess,the next Bill Clinton?)

[Josh]

61. Kerry should call for FOUR debates

nt.

[abburdlen]

98. He's called for more

I believe Kerry wanted a debate EVERY week on a different issue. Bush's team said there'd be plenty of time for debates after the convention.

I think Kerry should remind folks that even three debates was less than he prefered. Two is completely unacceptable

[Zorra]

62. Bu$h is a chickenshit wuss. He always was, and he always will be. n/t

[MyUncle]

66. Careful, this smells like a ruse.

Kerry calls out Shrub, expecations lowered for Shrub, Shrub say yes despite his "big job of running the company", Shrub looks good for saying yes to what was already agreed to.

[Zorra]

93. Nah. Bu$h would be destroyed on national TV in a debate w/Kerry,

and Cheney and Rove both know it.

[neonplaque]

65. Kerry needs to grab this: "George Bush is AFRAID ...

to debate me in the presence of voters."... afraid/scared... continue to ratchet it up until the media starts repeating it. Once it takes hold, let Kerry's surrogates (ie DEAN) use the word "coward" to describe Bush -- Kerry should not call Bush a 'coward' directly.

This has great potential!

[demgrrrll]

67. Let's dust off that chicken suit, drove his old man nuts. Poppy

talked to the chicken and looked like a fool. I'm not sure that the situation is the same at all but I thought I would bring up that old chestnut.

[Gregorian]

70. If there's one thing * can't stand, it's being called a chicken.

After all, why would he need to be such a bully, if he weren't such a coward?
You're onto something there. I totally agree. That's 'gloves off' in a clean way.

[crossroads]

77. Hear Hear!!! n/t

[crossroads]

74. I like the way you think!!!

GO Kerry!
:dem:

[Guaranteed]

75. Yup...call him a GIRLIE MAN! nt

[leesa]

68. What a wimp! Even with his pet media calling it for him he can't do it.

How could ANYONE approve of this gutless wonder??

[proud patriot]

78. Kerry should show up to all 3

if bush skips one , to bad for him .

[olddad56]

80. exactly

Kerry needs to stick to his guns. If Bush doesn't show up at the the third one, so be it. I'm surprised that Bush isn't demanding the same treatment that Chevron's man did in California's back door recall election. That clown wouldn't show unless they all got the questions in advance. I suppose with Dubya, that wouldn't help him a whole lot. Maybe he can have the corporate media debate Bush for him. If they ever do deabate, maybe Kerry can slip in a trick question,like "George, how do you spell 'debate'?" I'm guessing Dubya would come up with 'De bait', like what ya catch fish with.

[alarimer]

79. He won't appear in front of an audience

that hasn't been handpicked and made to sign loyalty oaths.

[Bombtrack]

84. Kerry needs to go to St. Louis and call Bush for the Poo-say he is

In a big speech. Also, we need to use DU to get stories like this talked about by people we can get to talk about it. Howard Stern, Air America, a couple of MSNBC shows maybe.

[Squeegee]

85. Pretty lame excuse

Kerry could have easily done the same thing, but didn't. Probably because he doesn't have anything to hide and isn't afraid of answering difficult questions from the people who really represent America.

[foo_bar]

88. must've been one heck of a focus group

"So, what you're saying is you like the non-talking aspects of George W."

[gardenista]

89. NO SHOW BUSH- doesn't meet his commitments. Again. nt

[Dem2theMax]

90. That's just too damned bad. HE works for US and WE say how many

debates he's going to show up for. The chicken shit bastard.
Oh to have the media, ALL of them, call him on this - in BIG BLACK BOLD LETTERS - Bush Afraid To Debate In Front Of A Real Audience.

Edited to properly spell swear word. :evilgrin:

[Carla in Ca]

92. This is important!!

OK, if * doesn't want that town hall format debate because he fears a trick question, then that must mean he knows the questions ahead of time for the other two debates. Is that true????

[Mokito]

96. No, it's not the questions per sé.

It's not the questions he's afraid, it's the audience (and by extrapolation their questions). If he can't handpick the audience and have them sign loyalty oaths, he can't assure that they will be friendly to him and that's what has his panties in twist...fear of uncertainty, the real trademark of a coward.

[Carla in Ca]

115. Mokito,

I think you are right about that. But do you think they get the questions before hand for the other two debates?

[truthisfreedom]

100. this is so simple for Kerry... CHICKENSH*T CHICKENHAWK!

it doesn't take rocket science to figure out how to respond to bushboy's fears.

[Paradise]

103. That's outrageous!

?"Bush officials were concerned that people could pose as undecided when they actually are partisans,"?

When * doesn't show up, the full time should be allotted to Kerry!

We know Kerry will show up, and won't need a prescreened audience!

[Walt Starr]

104. BUSH IS A COWARD

That's the mantra, spread it far and wide. The yellow belly coward is running for a bunker again!

[Swamp Rat]

121. And an alien lizard!

Don't vote for Bush! He's an alien lizard!

[Catfight]

106. Bush is such an untrusting person. What does it matter if a few

people slant one way or the other? Hopefully they now understand Bush doesn't want to answer their questions and they make up their minds to NOT vote for Bush!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

110. Kerry debating an empty chair...

would be the toughest of the three debates.

[PATRICK]

112. I told you so

The stupid ever so unimaginative, unanalytical and forgetful media have been watching these sordid debate negotiations for decades now and never
care to see the obvious. Nixon ducked from a position of strength and "once burned, twice shy" developing the Rose Garden strategy where the incumbent(in the lead) dictates the playing field. However, Reagan perfected the media aided "survive" "thrive" two debate strategy once the focus was turned laser like onto the idea of personality and the "change" issue. This time Bush, ironically, wants you to be afraid to change BECAUSE of personality. And of course the most open and unpredictable elements at a town hall meeting(friendly or not Bush stinks at impromptu) make this the debate to axe or reshape.

All the Dem primaries did was give the GOP a complete playbook of Kerry they have been dissecting night and day. Now they want the perfect format to strangle him and protect Cheney's Boy Wonder and continue to "Gore" him unmercifully.

Now, had the Dem Presidents, few as they were, been able to establish a fair and open series of debates this negotiation nonsense could have been put off. The use of federal monies could have had a chain attached in the form of obligatory, standard format debates, times and places chosen by lots perhaps.

Kerry should realize that what he wants to accomplish is quite different than what the Bush team has in mind while a good portion of their rigging has to do with aggressively hobbling him from the get go. He should not be predictable or generous in any part of the game now at hand.

Do not surrender the third debate or its venue. Obviously their fear that the meeting will be secretly stacked means precisely that they INTEND to stack it themselves and want Kerry to give them the means to do so.

Bush would have difficulty using an ear device in an open setting. I would toss at Baker the secret condition that the room be swept of possible cheats and devices, prompters and ventriloquists. Then after he dabs the foam off his mouth make some more demands of our own.

WE are trying to trick them into playing fair and open and denuding them of media cover. They obviously are using the old playbook heretofore unchallenged with maybe a new twist or two.

After survive-thrive comes "homogenize" "spin" where once the positives and negatives are blunted the right media can enhance Bush and depress Kerry. The missing "knockout punch" or "fuzzy factors" in the contest paradigm gives the champion the winning edge. merely beefing up your position to your own side, leaving swing voters "unconvinced" or "unsatisfied" on the "issues" again leaves the race "close" and the evenly divided sides hardened. Again edge to Bush for some sleight of hand in late October. One thing they do not want to repeat is the strategy that lost them the election last time. The whole idea is to keep the contest misdirected away from the horrors of the Bush character and presidency and his rotten, dirty nebulous campaign.

Bush is said to be supremely confident. Stop playing to his hand.

[Moderator]

114. kick

[KansDem]

117. You really can't blame them...

Bush officials were concerned that people could pose as undecided when they actually are partisans

Remember last week how the RNC was disrupted several times by protesters? This would be yet another embarrassment.

After all, the symbolism would be devastating: if you can't secure you're own convention/debate, then how can you be trusted to secure the country???

[SKKY]

118. After listening to Bush wax poetic on Tribal sovereignty ,...

...how terrorists want to hurt Americans just like we do, and OB-GYNs not being able to practice their "love", would you want anything other than a scripted debate with canned answers?

[Piperay]

119. Scary possiblity...

Could Chimp feel that he does not need that debate because his internal polls show he is ahead??? :shrug: :-( I don't want to believe it but want to be-aware of the worst case scenario. I read that Clinton refused a third debate in 96 because he knew he didn't need it, he was going to win without it and didn't want to risk that additional debate.

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

122. Rather than being proactive, Kerry is being typically reactive...

This is EXACTLY the kind of bullshit that's going to lose the election for Kerry. Apparently, he only knows how to fight if backed into a corner...COME ON AND PLACE A BIG "ARE YOU AFRAID, WIMP" ACROSS BUSH'S FACE. DO IT NOW!!!!!

PROACTIVE...PROACTIVE...THROW SOME GODDAMN PUNCHES.

Jesus.

JB