The Debate (#3) 2004

A poll at CNN declared Kerry the winner.

The Chicago Tribune and ABC News say it was a tie.

And I guess I do, too. They both showed a sense of humor toward the end, and one time in the middle of it, Kerry compared George W. Bush to Tony Soprano:

"Being lectured by the president on fiscal responsibility is a little bit like Tony Soprano talking to me about law and order in this country."

That part was funny, not because I think it's true, but that Tony Soprano came up in a presidential debate. Bush was funny, too, but it was about himself and in reference to his wife. Kerry drew laughter when he talked about his spouse as well.

I shouldn't put this in; no one will read it, but it's a good filler. The last question of the last debate, and the softest one. Bob Schieffer did well in choosing this question to close the last of three tough debates. Here is that part of the transcript, taken from MSNBC.com (whose poll also showed Kerry the winner):

SCHIEFFER: We‘ve come, gentlemen, to our last question. And it occurred to me as I came to this debate tonight that the three of us share something. All three of us are surrounded by very strong women. We‘re all married to strong women. Each of us have two daughters that make us very proud.

I‘d like to ask each of you, what is the most important thing you‘ve learned from these strong women?

BUSH: To listen to them.

(LAUGHTER)

To stand up straight and not scowl.

(LAUGHTER)

I love the strong women around me. I can‘t tell you how much I love my wife and our daughters.

I am—you know it‘s really interesting. I tell the people on the campaign trail, when I asked Laura to marry me, she said, “Fine, just so long as I never have to give a speech.” I said, “OK, you‘ve got a deal.” Fortunately, she didn‘t hold me to that deal. And she‘s out campaigning along with our girls. And she speaks English a lot better than I do. I think people understand what she‘s saying.

But they see a compassionate, strong, great first lady in Laura Bush. I can‘t tell you how lucky I am. When I met her in the backyard at Joe and Jan O‘Neill‘s in Midland, Texas, it was the classic backyard barbecue. O‘Neill said, “Come on over. I think you‘ll find somebody who might interest you.” So I said all right. I walked over there. There was only four of us there. And not only did she interest me, I guess you would say it was love at first sight.

SCHIEFFER: Senator Kerry?

KERRY: Well, I guess the president and you and I are three examples of lucky people who married up.

(LAUGHTER)

And some would say maybe me moreso than others.

(LAUGHTER)

But I can take it.

(LAUGHTER)

Can I say, if I could just say a word about a woman that you didn‘t ask about, but my mom passed away a couple years ago, just before I was deciding to run. And she was in the hospital, and I went in to talk to her and tell her what I was thinking of doing.

And she looked at me from her hospital bed and she just looked at me and she said, “Remember: integrity, integrity, integrity.” Those are the three words that she left me with.

And my daughters and my wife are people who just are filled with that sense of what‘s right, what‘s wrong.

They also kick me around. They keep me honest. They don‘t let me get away with anything. I can sometimes take myself too seriously. They surely don‘t let me do that.

And I‘m blessed, as I think the president is blessed, as I said last time. I‘ve watched him with the first lady, who I admire a great deal, and his daughters. He‘s a great father. And I think we‘re both very lucky.

I'd also like to point out to my conservative friend, John M., that Bush isn't publicly disgusted with homosexuality. He admits that he doesn't know what makes a person gay, but that we shouldn't try to leave homosexuals out of anything. Both candidates believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. Kerry says we leave the issue of gay marriage up to the states, since that's where the decisions have been made for the last 200-plus years. Bush still wants to amend the constitution, and take that power away from the states. I'm sure he has his reasons, but I personally agree with Kerry on that one.

On abortion, Kerry gave another good answer as to his position of "choice," and Bush didn't speak absolutely against abortion, he skirted it with mentionings of his ban on partial-birth abortion and what we need to do to reduce the number of abortions. They were both good answers. Neither of them mentioned getting religion in the way of that decision.

So I say it was a tie.