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Looking like a combination of class clown, high school bully and serial liar, Vice President Al Gore handed the second presidential debate to a, at times seemingly unwilling, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Continuing in his inexplicable problem with just telling the obvious truth, Gore managed to both promise not to lie and lie in the same breath?
PRE-GAME
On MSNBC the DNC propaganda was flowing hot and heavy. While democRAT HACK The Chris Matthews Beast, looking and sounding more and more like the Bagman who can't even carry Oliver North's water bucket, asks his liberal master's biased question du' jour, " Is George Bush an intellectual light weight? ". Obviously, he conventiently forgets that Al Gore flunked out of religious graduate school while Bush graduated from Yale, no matter what his grade point average was. GOP Senator Alan Simpson continued to shine on these talking head media circuses in the face of stiff left wing liberal spinmeister opposition, saying, " Bush makes things worse and Gore makes things up ". Little did he know, that on this night Bush would clean up his self destructive tendencies but the VPOTUS couldn't find the dustpan! On Gore, Simpson opined, " The eyeballs are the windows of the soul and there is nothing there ". Hitting the nail right on the head, Simpson finished, " Bush is just going to be himself and Gore is going to keep wondering whether it's brown shirt or double breasted jacket night ". It is sad that Republicans seem to have their own views, whether you agree with them or not, but Democrats have to take a poll to find theirs? Matthews could only whine to his other guest, ultra left wing Susan Estrich, " Does Al Gore have a truth problem? ". After a short pause, she replied like only a morally relativistic Democrat could, " Just a little ". Huh? How can you have " just a little " truth problem? Something factual is either the truth or a lie; with the possible exception being a mistake. Spreading his liberal plumage, The Matthews/DNC Gestalt Beast whined a rhetorical question, " We had Pinnochio as president for eight years and it hasn't hurt us; they could argue that, couldn't they? ". Who did he mean there by " us "; Americans? Democrats? Liberals? Sexual deviants? Who is " they "? Democrats? Gore campaign lackies? Serial liars?
Sadly, but predictably, ( DN )C-Span, the administration's official propaganda media organ, allowed far left wing liberal Ron Brownstein of, the socialist rag masquerading as a large circulation big city newspaper, the Los Angeles Times to blabber his Gore 2000 infomerical disguised as commentary for way too long prior to the debate!
THE CONTEST
Moderated by Jim Lehrer, George Bush and Al Gore entered the auditorium and took their seats ( they both returned them after the debate was over, but Gore needed an official subpoena before releasing his ). Bush was seated on the left and Gore the right; though, luckily these do translate to stage right and stage left respectively. Lehrer started, " The format tonight is that of a conversation ".
The first question went to Governor Bush and was vague enough to get things going as an ice breaker. What are your GUIDING PRINCIPLES?
" What is in the best interest of our nation...our people ", Bush began. He hit on " free trade ",and, " peace in Europe ", but closed the thought on an altruistic note with, " serve a cause greater than himself " ( sort of like the direct opposite of the current administration ). He did begin to sink back into the old " compassionate conservative " campaign mantra, as he praised Dick Cheney and his debate performance.
Gore countered with, " This nation is looked at by all the other people in the world as a model ". Trying to mount his high horse, he preached that we should, " stand up for human rights ", and " here at home ", as well as, " enforce our civil rights laws ". Mister Affirmative action ( oh, he would probably claim he invented that as well ) had to gulp to get out, " Our real power comes from our values ". I would ask; what values are those Mr. Gore, winning over everything except maybe the almighty dollar?
To show just as similar the two candidates really are on some issues, Bush jumped firmly on the globalist bandwagon with, " I think we ought to forgive third world debt in certain circumstances ". He came back to earth with, " We can help build coalitions, but we shouldn't be sending out troops all around ".
ISRAEL
Gore said he would, " insist that Arafat send out orders to stop the violence ". Excuse me Mister Vice President, I have the Chairman of The PLO on the cellular phone ( which you invented )? This administration has been soft on Isreal, and I believe Clinton tried to play Israel like Mena Airport, with Gore a look the other way enabler at the very least and an active partner at the worst.
Instead of the wishy-washy Gore trying to walk the slender line between the two enemies, Bush was strongly pro-Israel, saying that he wanted Arafat to show " credibility ", and vowed to, " let them know Israel is our friend ". He used the remainder of his time to hit hard on a national missile defense, saying we should " develope an anti-ballistic missile system ". He insinuated that we should try to construct one which could also protect our allies, ofcourse, including Israel.
FOREIGN POLICY
Gore tried to defend the numerous deployments of a Clinton administration gone mad, in efforts to nation build on a global scale ( in Clinton's own Fabian Sociailist style, naturally ). He failed, but tried to equate the actions of his administration against Yugoslavia, innocent or otherwise, with the grand coalition building Gulf War actions against Iraq in 1991.
Sadly, this discussion became a, I'll pat you on the back if you pat me on mine, staring George Bush caving in with, " I support the bombing ", and, " It is important for NATO to be strong ". Oh, please, NATO is a defensive alliance created to counter the now defunct Warsaw Pact threat and it shouldn't be involved in nationa building. I don't support communist dictators ( or dictators living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue either ), but we spent way too much time and money on what amounted to be a solo effort, with NATO watching on the sidelines. Both candiates adequately answered foreign policy concerns, though Bush had more to prove than Gore.
Gore gaffed, " Somalia; I supported that one...oh, no no ". He then whined a bunch trying to get out of supporting the failed Somalia mission. Bush scored many points when he didn't support Haiti, or " the change of mission in Somalia to nation building ". Gore exposed his serious problem with quickly deciding what his opinion should be one an issue between: supporting the current administration, spewing out a predigested answer based on polling or, God forgive, his own real opinion ( but could he remember it with all that smoke and mirrors swirling around in his head )?
Gore countered Bush's criticism of nation building with a shot, " We shouldn't shy away from going in anywhere ". Gore pulled off the wires attached to the polygraph saying, " He ( Bush ) says two of our divisions would have to report they are unfit for combat and that is not what the Joint Chiefs of Staff say ". You know, when you hear Gore say something like that, you wish you couldn't see his hands, in the hopes he had his fingers crossed?
Bush finally expressed his version of nation building where we help but don't dictate, saying, " I want to empower people ". He went on, " I think we can help ", but, " they have to make the decisions, themselves ". This illustrates one big difference between Bush and Gore. Bush is for government by the people and Gore is for government of the people.
Both candidates wanted to end racial profiling, but Bush didn't want to " federalize local government ". Gore used the time to croon, " We still need affirmative action ". Didn't he already say that? Or, how many times did he say that?
HERE IS WHERE IT GOT GOOD
Gore forgot that he wasn't supposed to exaggerate or lie anymore to make a point, valid or otherwise. Gore started invoking John Q. Public again and everyone in the room knew a GORE LIE was about to rear it's ugly head. Well, Gore cited a Texas murder case with racial overtones and loudly declared that, " hate crimes statute in Texas died in the legislature ". Bush simply pointed out that Texas has had a hate crimes law since 1992, before he was elected Governor. Gore took another cheap shot at Bush, trying to say the bill died. Gore looked stupid, like an elementary school kid caught in an obvious and silly lie! Bush let him off with, " I support equal rights for everyone, not special rights ".
GUNS
Gore began, " There are too many guns getting in the hands of children and criminals ". His answer is more new laws. He touted the assault weapons ban. He parroted one of his old allies turned new nemesis by wanting to, " toughen the enforcement of the laws on the books ", to steal a refrain from the National Rifle Association. This is vintage pollaganda, play both sides to get to the middle, Gore-speak. One thing Gore favors and the NRA opposes, is licensing of buyers.
Bush pointed out that " with licensing, the criminal isn't going to come in ", and get one. Gore tried to parry with the, " licensing is for new handguns ". Looking like the socialist big government enabling, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU totalitarian in the guise of a patriot, he said it would be " like a photo ID ". Oh man, I can see them coming to the door with the national gun registry list in one hand and the communist manifesto in the other, asking the law abiding citizen to turn in his only form of self protection! Gore tried to invoke the killings at Columbine High School, in typical liberal Sarte' Bad Faith style, but he completely dropped the ball.
Picking up the ball and running to the endzone with it, George Bush said plainly and clearly, " I am not for photo licensing ". He then got very serious and left no doubt that he didn't see the inanimate object as being responsible for murder with, " Columbine spoke to a higher issue, culture ". Finally someone has the guts to stand up to the ' blame it on anything else but the one who was responsible crowd ', with, " Do a better job of teaching children right or wrong ". This made me think about how the democRATS under Clinton have tried to change the definition of ' wrong ' to ' proven guilty in a court of law ', instead of the classical natural absolute truth value of right and wrong!
Gore was staggered and could only whine, " I believe in the Golden Rule ", but he had to continue to tow the extreme liberal left wing anti-gun crowd's Second Amendment hater line by combining apples and oranges with, " Start with better parenting, but we can't ignore the role of guns ". You could see that just saying that got his socialist, evironmentalist whacko juices flowing, as he launched into ' the old Dianne Feinstein collect 'em ' all gun control routine! Bush simply countered with an unemotional, " We have got ( gun )laws ".
HERE COMES THE ONLY PLACE WHERE GORE SCORED ANY POINTS AND HE FAILED TO PRESS THE ADVANTAGE.
Gore began with his standard big government tax and spend liberal lie, " I want a smaller and smarter goverment ". The problem with this is that Gore reinvention of the current administration has bloated the size of government, with the vast majority of cuts in numbers of people coming in the ranks of the military, though Gore never tells you that part, the misleading part! Gore hit Bush hard on health care being provided in Texas. Before I quote him, realize that Texas is the second largest state in the union, so any ranking better than 49th would reflect being better than the third largest state. Gore began, " Texas ranked 49th in child health care coverage, 49th in female health care coverage and 50th in families health care coverage ". This is where it gets good, and Gore really stretches the truth, " He ( Bush ) declared a tax cut for the rich oil companies as an emergency and took the money out of health care ". I find that all very hard to believe, especially coming out of Al Gore's mouth.
Bush didn't adequately or directly debunk the fibbing Gore, but said, " The notion that we took money for special interests from health care is ridiculous ".
For a moment Gore made Bush look like a complete idiot, by repeating, " giving a tax cut to big oil interests before healthcare ". Am I the only person who noticed that Gore kept changing the particulars of his concocted criticism of Bush? This was typical Al Gore embellishment and exaggeration at it's best and most obvious.
Bush reinterated, " That is simply not true ". He never directly contradicted Gore and went back to the " reach out " across party lines mantra.
SEEMINGLY ON TOP OF THE DEBATE WORLD, GORE REVERTED TO ENVIRONMENTALIST WHACKO?
Gore preached with bleary eyes, " The polar ice cap will be completely gone in 60 years " ( Funny, in his book, " Earth in The Balance ", we were supposed to be under water already? ). I can't believe that Gore didn't twist the knife a little bit more, but he did say, " Texas ranked 50th in pollution ". The problem was that the people watching were still in shock after Gore's global warming polar ice cap crack!
Bush could only muster, " We have cleaned up polluted sites ", though he did have a good sound bite in, " If you own your land, every day is Earthday ".
REALIZING THAT HE HAD MISSED AN EASY OPPORTUNITY TO SCORE POINTS HE DECIDED TO LIE AGAIN.
Gore insinuated that pollution controls in Texas were voluntary ( possibly confusing pollution with pollaganda? ), actually using the word " voluntary ". Bush harshly corrected Gore and addressed his extreme environmental views at the expense of the United States economy, saying, " I am not going to let the United States bear the entire burden for global environmentalism ". Bush cited the failed Kyoto Treaty that we all know is a complete sellout to the third world. He surprized the VPOTUS, as he knew that the treaty exempted extreme polluters like Red China and put handcuffs on American businesses. Gore could only continue hugging the invisible tree and combining that with scare tactics invoking children, with, " We know the cause of global warming; what are we going to tell our children ".
As time was beginning to run out and Jim Lehrer hadn't gotten the ' vicious Republican routine ' out of George Bush, he pitched up the GOP gopher ( as in " Ground Hog Day " ) ball to the Governor: YOU HAVE CHARGED VICE PRESIDENT GORE EMBELLISHES.
Once again, Bush was too nice, only saying, " I think credibility is important; this isn't something new ". He was firm with, " I will continue to defend my position against what I consider exaggeration ".
Gore could only act like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar making lame excuses for himself with, " I got some of the things I said last week wrong and I am going to try to do better ".Okay folks, think about it, this is a man who wants to be our president. That one is really sick, if you think about what it means for a minute. He then repeated what his handlers told him to, " I can't promise you I won't get another detail wrong, but I will get the big things right ". Folks, all is lost if Al Gore is elected!
Not smelling enough blood in the water and wanting to get his own two cents worth in a dig on Bush, Lehrer instigated to Gore, " Your campaign is calling Mr. Bush a bumbler ". Letting Lehrer's line hang in the air, Gore did a repeat of the old health care thing, including playing very fast and loose with the truth. Bush only managed, " That is the kind of exaggeration I am talking about ".
CLOSE
Gore must have been hearing Crosby Stills and Nash in his head while starting into his standard health care mantra which he had just finished repeating a few minutes before, morphing into a hit on not giving a tax cut to the rich. Isn't that ( from the rich ) where Gore gets the majority of his campaign cash booty?
Bush did the, old " too much finger pointing/unite the country "/rebuild the miltary mantra and thanked everyone whom he forgot to thank last week.
POST
On MSNBC General Colin Powell, former Joint Chiefs Chairman thought, " both were well prepared ". He agreed with Bush to, " let governors and local people make the decisions ". Brian Williams introduced Senator Christopher Dodd as one of the official spinners for the Gore Campaign. You know, before Mister Clinton came to Washington, I don't remember even the hacks getting away with lying the way they do, even if they do call it SPIN. Chris Matthews was expectantly sickening, calling George Bush's performance on foreign policy as, " imitating Henry Kissinger ".
DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN THE LIBERALS ARE SQUIRMING AND WHINING?
To sum it all up; George Bush seemed relaxed but Al Gore looked like someone waiting in line at the DMV or an IRS audit!
- Bongo ( Defend the Goremeister? )
Updated ( 10-12-2000 )
(c)2000 Bongo.