Bob's Place

Within the first 5 minutes of John Kerry’s nomination acceptance speech, I called it an “unmitigated disaster.”

Within the first 5 minutes of George W. Bush’s nomination acceptance speech, I called it a “success.”

Within the first 5 minutes of the first presidential debate, I declared Kerry the winner, and “not just in the high-school debate-coach sense of the word.”

And now, within the first 5 minutes of the second presidential debate, I’m saying Bush is cleaning Kerry’s clock.

Bush has the easier task. If he just showed up and didn’t scowl a lot, he’d beat expectations.

But the rout goes well beyond that. Kerry is rattling off numbers and sounding negative, not connecting with his questioner. Bush, on the other hand, is sure, at ease, and scoring hits on Kerry.

As far as make-up, look-and-feel, preparation, and likability go, this is convention-speech Kerry vs. convention-speech Bush. And it’s no contest.

UPDATE:

Victor Davis Hanson provides his always insightful opinion:

Pundits will harp that Kerry was adept at masking his liberalism, Bush missing key chances to remind the American public that Kerry had voted against the first Gulf War and was a virtual pacifist during a mediocre 20-year Senate career. Maybe, maybe not. But Bush held his own against an accomplished debater, and proved himself the more human and honest—and that will finally make all the difference in the world.

# posted by Bob Taylor @ 9:49 PM