The "Spin" Deflects the Real Issues..and where are the other candidates, by the way?
At the risk of throwing a grenade on the horse that has already been shot...after viewing the much anticipated debate between President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry, I've been left with a different taste in my mouth - a flavor that I haven't anticipated, but one that still isn't palatable. Before I digest the debate, let it be known that I had originally tuned into the program for entertainment primarily, as an American voter secondarily. And a David Copperfield was almost pulled on me.
You see, as a consumer of CNN, the Associated Press, Congressional Quarterly, etc, I had a hoodwink poised to blind me with awe. I sat through an initial barrage of questions presented to Sen. Kerry and Pres. Bush, and I was initially impressed by the juggling rhetoric. Bush's dyslexia didn't come through until 20 minutes into the program, and Kerry's baloney was overshadowed by his assertiveness (what else is new?). But then I realized: Hey, why does this debate have to be entirely about Iraq and global policy? and Why aren't there any other candidates? Are we forever to ignore such people as Cobb and Nader? They might not generate the masses of votes and popularity, but they have intelligence, and can pose some real humdinger questions. But before I get ahead of myself, here's the scorecard from an independent, and if you must care about my background, I'm a VERY recent veteran of the Navy, an environmentalist, college-educated, a consumerist, and I read, too.
1. Both BUSH and KERRY wore American flag pins on their left breast. They were the same design and size. = NO ADVANTAGE
2. KERRY tackled BUSH on the 'false war' of Iraq, citing no WMD, and no connection with Osama Bin Laden. He also later insinuated how BUSH centralized the war on terror in Iraq because he invaded Iraq. = ADV. KERRY (but tell us something we don't know).
3. BUSH countered by citing how KERRY said he's not going to dismantle our ongoing efforts in Iraq, yet calls it a bogus war (wrong time, wrong place, etc), and claims how KERRY cannot lead our soldiers if he cannot claim a position on the war. = ADV. BUSH (but we know KERRY's spine is made of bipartisan rubber)
4. BUSH domineered in the 30 second rebuttle...he kept the arguments going, with KERRY smiling in the dust. =ADV. BUSH (but Kerry's hair stayed poofy, and his smile was whiter and more charming).
5. KERRY pulled some nasty stunts by quoting GEORGE BUSH SR., stating that the first BUSH ended operations in Iraq inconclusively because he [couldn't be a force of occupation in such a hostile country - it was pointless] and KERRY reiterated that what we were facing in Iraq was just that. = ADV. KERRY (the truth hurts, even when wielded by someone who doesn't know the difference between different truths).
6. BUSH didn't even mention his father. = ADV. BUSH (shock treatment works in monkeys, too).
7. KERRY only mentioned his involvement in the Vietnam war as a combat veteran 3 times (that I could tell). = ADV. KERRY (that is a record low, and other VFW men and women only had to cringe a fraction of the amount they were used to).
8. BUSH named foreign leaders over and over, but failed to name any of his 'Polish Allies', even by office or department. = NO ADVANTAGE (but BUSH has come a long way in his foreign policy...long enough to be considered a politician).
9. BUSH was consistent. KERRY, on the other hand, first criticized BUSH for allocating money to train Iraqi police and firefighters, while cutting money from our own policemen and firefighters. Later, KERRY, while defending his own position on Iraq, criticized BUSH for not allocating enough money to rebuild Iraq and equip our soldiers. = ADV. BUSH (KERRY kept his shifty ways going strong, while consistency is a must for Commander-In-Chief).
10. BUSH was attacked for not providing enough funding for Homeland Security, as well as for leaving wide gaps, while he kept his offensive abroad (in the 'phony' war). = ADV. KERRY (but wait for the rebuttle...)
11. BUSH responded that he helped to create the office of Homeland Security. = ADV. BUSH (even though it was in hindsight after a tragic attack).
This scorecard could go on, but I want to bring to light another perspective: the war in Iraq, as brutal and destructive as it has been (as well as full of sacrifice from people from around the world), we have lost perspective. The office of the President of the United States of America should not have to use 90% of his or (one day) her energy on a conflict that has fully consumed the lives of a few thousand Americans, a few hundred thousand Iraqis, and some global partners, when we face entirely bigger struggles on this Earth. A new scorecard...
AIDS in Africa. = ADV. AIDS
Literacy around the World = ADV. Illiteracy
Literacy in the U.S. = NO ADVANTAGE (definitely not improving)
Genocide in the Sudan = NO ADVANTAGE (not a platform for the Presidential debate? We intervened in Iraq 'on behalf of the people', according to BUSH, but the plight of the Sudan is ignored?
Oppressed Women in the World = NO ADVANTAGE (I guess it might take a female U.S. President or Vice President to kick-start awareness on a media-based level that supercedes the barely unrecognized work of other pro-feminist workers.)
Illegal Immigration in the U.S. = ADV. Illegal Aliens (Homeland Security? Let's just say I've been able to cross the border with NO CHECKS on many occasions just by backpacking in Big Bend Nat'l Park of Texas). I have no faith in homeland security, before or after Bush. There is no difference except that I've had to surrender a dental pick at the airport - one that could have caused great damage to a pilot's teeth, should I had the need to hijack his halitosis.).
Welfare in the U.S. = ADV. freeloaders, DISADVANTAGE honest working people. (I'm not really conservative, but I do know a waste of money when I see it. Those who truly need the help have to go through too much crap, and those who abuse the system have the loopholes down, and make the program cost a billion times more than it is worth.)
Global Warming = ADV. Tide Levels and Weird Pattern Weather. (I'm not a professional scientist, but I do recognize the hard work of thousands of scientists and analysts, as well as the shifting weather oddness. There are simply too many factors involved to ignore the atrocity of what we, as people, are doing to this Earth. And still the U.S. will not adhere to the Kyoto Accord, simply because of money and power.)
In conclusion, the 'spin' we've been chowing down on, which has been provided by the media, is nothing but spin. The real issues are known, but our focus has been lying elsewhere. If tonight were a real debate, the questions wouldn't have been so superficial, and the main issue would not have been Iraq. We also would have been exposed to other opinions, besides the contest between the two Republicrats. Regardless, President Bush at least remained constant in his desire to lead the U.S. on a downward spiral of aggression against an enemy that has no country boundary, and has avoided national environmental, cultural, social, and educational issues. Meanwhile, Sen. Kerry kept up his campaign to attack Bush, while maintaining his platform of not having a platform. If Bush didn't exist, Sen. Kerry would disappear into a Dr. Seuss book. If we learned a lesson from the debate, it should be this: sometimes the best lessons come from those who show us that they have no lessons to teach.
Don't let yourself get caught in the spin, lest ye get sick and throw up your morals.