Candidates Put On Game Face Before Debate

[DrFunkenstein]

Before the Debate, Putting on a Game Face

NEW YORK -- Sen. Bob Graham is taking an awfully long time in the men's room.

Howard Dean is waiting outside. Sen. John Edwards was in before Graham, looking intently in the mirror and breathing deeply (according to a source in the men's room).

Here comes Sen. John Kerry, bounding around a corner. Dean eyes him thoughtfully. Things can get a little Darwinian, especially when a political debate is about to begin and there's a shortage of toilets in the backstage greenroom area.

"There's a line here," Dean informs Kerry, his archrival in the race to succeed George Bush in the White House and Bob Graham in the john. Both men laugh.

Kerry, who recently underwent prostate surgery, is in no position to wait. The hallway is congested. The debate will last two hours. He asks an NBC staffer to check out the women's room. All clear, she says.

Kerry walks in. An aide stands guard outside the door.

Debate greenroom areas incubate a distinctive, if rarely seen, genre of political anthropology. These are tightly restricted places where debate participants (like stage actors or talk-show guests) wait to go on stage. It is a sanctuary in which to perform last-minute preparation rituals. Ronald Reagan drank a glass of red wine in his greenroom. Bill Clinton sometimes bounced a basketball and almost always ate bananas. Al Gore got snippy if too many people started hanging around. Sen. Joe Lieberman does push-ups.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7589-2003Sep26.html

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[eileen_d]

1. Damn.

Candidates can't even go to the bathroom without "anonymous sources" listening to them breathe.

I guess that's why I never even ran for class president ;)

Now, is Kerry cold-cocking Lieberman in that photo or what?

[deutsey]

2. That's what I thought about the picture...

must be wishful thinking! :evilgrin:

[Loyal]

3. Haha

Well it's good to see they're all getting along still. Are Gephardt and Dean still friendly after what happened Thursday afternoon?

[diamondsoul]

4. Kerry really impressed me Thursday.

I'm not sure why, but this debate he seemed a bit more....captivating I think. Don't ask me why, because I'm not certain myself.

[DrFunkenstein]

5. He Has Really Regained His Health

People seem to forget that Kerry has been recovering from prostate surgery. People usually take a couple of months off to recoup, but Kerry didn't blink an eye. If you look at him now, as opposed to a few months - or even weeks - ago, he has really finally gotten back into top shape.

[diamondsoul]

6. OMG! You're right, and I feel totally stupid now!

Oh damn do I feel like a jerk! I remember watching one of the debates, not knowing he'd been ill, and remarking to my daughter "He looks half dead!" because he was so pale!

He's made one amazing rebound, no doubt about it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to change candidates at this stage, but I'm getting to a point where I can see myself backing Kerry if Kucinich has to back out before he does.(PLEASE leave me with my delusions, will ya? :evilgrin: )