* Modern presidential debates never live up to the hype. You're always hoping for the Perry Mason moment when a suspect breaks down on the stand ("That's right I killed her. And I'd do it all over again!") It never happens in real life, but it's fun to think about. This week's debate won't be much different. There may be a few zingers, but not much else.
Here's what could happen, however: Kerry could improve his standing by being seen as presidential. There are still a lot of people who don't know much about Kerry. If he stands up there and doesn't come across as too much of a windbag, he might benefit. He's disciplined too, so don't expect him to pull an Al Gore exhaling out of disgust. In a way, the time limit on the candidates will work in his favor. One of Kerry's biggest flaws is that he goes on too long. In a debate, he can't.
* This weekend, I was looking at some of my old boxing books. There was a story about the Dempsey-Tunney fights. Dempsey was a beloved brawler and a legend who -- most forget -- was accused of ducking out of serving in the military. Tunney was a college-educated man who loved to read and had been a war hero. Although Tunney clearly beat Dempsey twice, the public still never felt any affection for him. As I read more about their contest, it made me think of Bush-Kerry. And remember, even though the public wasn't crazy about him, Tunney won!
* Bush is on O'Reilly three nights this week. Some advance rumblings show that O'Reilly probably asked the President some tough questions. Whenever stuff like this happens, you hope for a Freddie vs. Jason showdown where the two evil entities destroy each other.
Again, it never happens.
Posted by brettdavey
at 8:59 AM EDT
