kodalai | *takes political podium once more*

I Know Who I'm Voting For.

My thoughts on the presidential debate:

First off, I didn't see all of it. I got down to the TV room a little late, and found an impromptu debate-watching party going on. Lots of people had dinner. A bunch of people were keeping tallies of various things -- how many times Bush mispronounced a word, how many times Kerry said "[America] can do better," how many times Bush said "wrong war, wrong place, wrong time," how many times Kerry mentioned Vietnam, how many times Bush said a word that was the exact opposite of what he meant (i.e, "We went to war for all the wrong -- I mean right reasons" or "The only thing that's consistant about my position...") It was kind of fun.

Then Bush started talking about the ICC, in such a context that decoded to my ear as thus: "Hey, my opponent is accusing me of not planning ahead for the war and Iraq, but that's just not true! I made sure to get us out from under the jurisdiction of the ICC BEFORE the atrocities started!" and at this point I had to leave the room before I chewed my own liver out in rage.

Kerry's adopting a very centralist position, very moderate, tending towards the right a lot of the time. Or at least he did in this debate. I can understand the strategy. Those on the far left would vote for a kumquat to get Bush out of office, and this way he has more of a chance of attracting the moderate and undecideds. In theory, anyway.

I'm not personally concerned about Kerry's evasiveness. He'll do what he has to in order to get elected. And while the policies that emerge once he's been elected probably won't be my ideal set, I cannot conceive that they'd be more personally repulsive to me than Bush's stated policies are.

Besides, Kerry's got Edwards in his back pocket. That man has the moral gravity of a small planet. The two of them make a pretty balanced pair. They'll be good for this country.