"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Bush performed well in the second presidential debate.

While the Limbaugh Little Leaguers and other right wing fanatics have been
crowing about Bush's "victory" in the first debate, the majority of the
country
saw a dramatic difference between Kerry and Bush in their first debate,
and the
difference was not in the incumbent's favor.

The Friday night rematch was more evenly fought. D's and R's alike could
take
some pride in the overall performance of their favored candidates- and
each
side
got off a few "zingers" against the other.

Were the encounters boxing matches, rather than debates, the first would
have
been a knockout and the second contest narrowly decided one way or another
by
points.

There was an aspect of Bush's performance that must surely concern a geat
many
people. How could the confused, bumbling, face-making buffoon from the
first
debate have morphed so convincingly into the still bull-headed, but now
adequately communicative full participant in the second?

Such inconsistencies in personality and performance are often symptomatic
of
serious underlying issues. Was the POTUS "medicated" for one of the two
debates? If so, which one? Was that the *real* George Bush, standing erect
and
making eye contact with the crowd while speaking coherently enough to
convince
his loyal base that he hadn't lost his mind entirely?

Which of those Bush's would occupy the White House if he is reselected for
another four years? The smirking incompetent? The oh-so-wrong but
adequately
functional statesman? Both at once?

Jekyl and Hyde?
There can be no greater, or more potentially disastrous "flip-flop" than
that.

The debates were two very different formats. I've said all along that some
people just don't do well speaking to a large group of people in a formal
setting while standing behind a podium. It's the most impersonal of
formats...and only the truly arrogant do well in such a format because it
allows them to be more "detached" from the lowly "commoners". Bush is
perfect for the townhall setting...or the one-on-one setting. He's a casual
guy...and that's the reason people like him...and that's the reason he'll
win on November 2nd by a significant margin.

My prediction: Bush 51-52% vs Kerry 46-47%.