30 Responses

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   Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 2:13pm PT: [Permalink]

   A couple of folks have asked me about the official "Memorandum of Understanding" for tonight’s debate. Here’s the link for the .PDF, though I haven’t time to read ’em myself as they came out during the crash yesterday.

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   Vance said on 9/30/2004 @ 2:32pm PT: [Permalink]

   Or if that link above doesn’t work (as it did not for me)
   here’s another:

   http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/debates.html
   Scroll to near the bottom of the page and choose:
   Read the 2004 Memorandum of Understanding (PDF)

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   Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 2:37pm PT: [Permalink]

   Thanks, Vance. That link should be fixed now! (Was the same one you had pointed to over at PBS, btw)

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   Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 2:48pm PT: [Permalink]

   CNN has "undecideds" in Ohio w/ little contraptions where they will push 1 to 10 buttons (1 neg response, 10 pos response).

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   Vance said on 9/30/2004 @ 2:49pm PT: [Permalink]

   And an interesting read it is! Explicit instructions down to the exact placement of each podium tonight.

   Hey it may just be my perception, but couldn’t we run ALL of W’s press conferences over the past four years in less than 90 minutes? We should have this running concurrently on another channel. Is anyone against this?

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   Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 2:52pm PT: [Permalink]

   CSPAN has Lehrer doing Pre-Instructions in the hall(threatening) audience 🙂

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   Vance said on 9/30/2004 @ 2:57pm PT: [Permalink]

   Brad, please continue to do the play by play as you see fit… I’ll have to catch the Large Cable Company Digital On-Demand Replay later tonight and be content with the live radio feed in the car.

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   Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:05pm PT: [Permalink]

   Kerry is taller. Bush is more orange.

   No need for any post-debate commentery now from the media. The debate is over.

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   Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:07pm PT: [Permalink]

   Bush won’t answer question about "getting hit if Kerry is elected". First non-answer by Bush.

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:10pm PT: [Permalink]

    FOX is manning the pool cameras! Note how they’re closer-up on Bush than Kerry to make them both same height in split frame!

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    jaime said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:14pm PT: [Permalink]

    Osam bin Forgotten? Bush won’t/can’t say his name.

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    jaime said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:16pm PT: [Permalink]

    I’ve got ESPN. He pulled a Rumsfeld. I knew it.

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:20pm PT: [Permalink]

    Leher: What would you do for Homeland Security
    Kerry: Well, there’s a long list…

    Uh, oh…

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    jaime said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:22pm PT: [Permalink]

    "I don’t know where we’re gonna get the money to spend on all these promises???" FOR HOMELAND SECURITY?!?!?!?!

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    teddy said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:25pm PT: [Permalink]

    22 minutes in… interesting to see Bush so flustered. But not surprising.

    When you have insulated yourself from criticism for 4 years, it must be hard to have a guy 50 feet away hammer at you.

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    Alexi said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:26pm PT: [Permalink]

    So far I count three Bush freezes. More to come.

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:28pm PT: [Permalink]

    "I made a mistake in talking about the war. The president made a mistake in going to war. Which is worse?"

    Soundbite of the night so far.

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    jaime said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:37pm PT: [Permalink]

    Bush is frazzled. He’s defensive and even hostile. Kerry’s letting shit roll off his finely coifed ‘do.

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:39pm PT: [Permalink]

    Kerry looking VERY "Presidential". Anyone disagree?

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:43pm PT: [Permalink]

    "Trying to LOVE her as best as I can"?

    Is she an OB/GYN?

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    jaime said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:47pm PT: [Permalink]

    The Bush "Flip Flop" attack is FLOPPING!!!!!

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    teddy said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:48pm PT: [Permalink]

    48 minutes in…

    When Bush loses, he’ll have a nice career imitating a deer caught in the headlights…

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:54pm PT: [Permalink]

    Powerline.com (right wing blog) running commentary has the score at 10-10 TIE so far! 🙂

    What a surprise! 🙂

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 3:57pm PT: [Permalink]

    Powerline.com changes score. Bush 10-9 over Kerry 🙂

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 4:01pm PT: [Permalink]

    Bush: "Before I was elected sworn in…"

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 4:06pm PT: [Permalink]

    From Powerline.com (right wingers)

    9:00 — Visually, Kerry is dominating. I’m surprised at Bush’s expression when Kerry is talking. He seems irritated, flustered, not in command.

    Kerry continue to attack the Iraq war effectively. Was the Bush campaign mistaken in thinking that they wanted the first debate to be on foreign policy?

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    johnhp said on 9/30/2004 @ 4:31pm PT: [Permalink]

    two thoughts:

    1. Bush was furious most of the time; those pursed lips were just darling.

    2. Bush gave a great confession: he referred to "strategic beliefs" when discussing his core values.

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    Bryan said on 9/30/2004 @ 4:35pm PT: [Permalink]

    Only caught the last 50 minutes, but Bush clearly fumbling. Kerry was much more poised and thoughtful than I figured he would be.

    I did think Bush’s ‘…it will be an all-volunteer army’ in his final comments was the only smart political move I caught of him. Otherwise the best thing Bush did was get Republican pundits on his side, to defend him. Nailing the ‘global test’ comment, which anyone who saw understood what Kerry was saying. Easy to draw out of context, and watch them spin that one over the next few hours, I’m sure.

    Fox is already tripping over what to say. Tossing in ‘mixed messages’ and that Kerry didn’t outline his plan well. Making excuses for Bush.

    Logging off for the night, but will be very interested to see how everyone responds here, and how the pundits react.

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    Brad said on 9/30/2004 @ 4:36pm PT: [Permalink]

    Moving to a Post Debate Open Thread Now…

    Please come over and share your post debate thoughts (and post debate spin observations!)

    Post Debate Thread Here

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    teddy said on 9/30/2004 @ 4:41pm PT: [Permalink]

    Watching Fox post-debate…

    seem to be reluctantly admitting Kerry won. Except Fred Barnes, who apparently watched the debate in a parallel dimension.