A Little More Strategery - A Little Less Talk

Bush found in the last debate that it is much easier to throw rocks than to catch them. Vice-President Cheney threw some pretty good rocks in his debate with John Edwards, however most of them were ones that Bush failed to hurl last week. Bush's first outting this year reveals what happens when a President fails to allow himself to be challenged on a regular basis. Perhaps his prep for the next debate will be more vigorous. Changing the topic in today's speech from health care to foreign policy was also smart by not giving Kerry ammunition for Friday. It's not as if Kerry needs more ammo. The democrats make a living out of trashing good and bad things alike. Trashing the economy and people who have the misfortune of looking as if they might make a decent living is what they do. And they do it well.

Another smart move on the Bush side was to put the debate on Friday night. Many people will not bother to tune in, not because they are bad Americans, but because IT'S FRIDAY! Instead of getting information from a variety of sources, those on the voting fringe will be making their decisions based on ads and sound bites.

These are the candidates' most favorite people in the world. The undecideds who have arrived at their indecision, not through exhaustive research, but through a failure to care until the last minute. These are the easily manipulated. One good zinger in a last minute ad and you've got their vote.

But I digress. This week Bush must look credible and positive. He must present a vision. He must also give long twisted lists of what he will do if he is re-elected. The longer the better. Kerry will do the same. If Bush is lucky, by thirty minutes into the debate two-thirds of the already tiny Friday night crowd will have bailed. He must be firm but boring. That will be the goal. Kerry will bring dull in buckets. It is up to Bush to contribute his fair share.

With baseball playoffs, college football, Mount St. Helens, pro football and decent weather, Bush may be able to avoid the fallout from this debate altogether. Bring on the ads!