How bizarre does Bush's behavior have to get before the media questions..

[Jade Fox]

his mental health/stability?

Contrasting his behavior in this debate to the first one should be grounds
to at least question his stability. From moping pouter to raging bully in
8 days.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. Good question

Well as long as he doesn't sigh...........too loudly, anyway. Maybe those in the media are physically afraid of him. After last night's "Charlie Gibson" moment, who can blame them.

[ljm2002]

2. That's the question, all right

They ignore mood swings, whole different personas emanating from this most infantile of U.S. presidents, and yet they had all the hot button issues down on Gore in the 2000 election, like his "sighs" and "earth tones" and on and on and on. Pathetic. But just let l'il Georgie come on strong, dancing around the stage like a banty rooster, breaking the rules (the rules HIS party had insisted on) at will... why, they're positively relieved that he's not a drooling blithering idiot (not quite), and they give it to him on points.

Geez.

But you know what? This election is not *only* about George Bush. It's about another candidate, John Kerry (that's "Kerry", not "Kennedy"), who is showing himself to be up to the task. The debates have given both Kerry and Edwards a chance to showcase themselves, and they have come out looking good. No one has to feel bad about voting for either of them in terms of qualifications and they have neutralized, or at least decreased the effect of hot button issues like the (bogus) "wishy-washy" charge.

[leftofthedial]

3. why would his employees question his behavior?

not a rhetorical question.

or maybe it is.

[sallyseven]

4. No wonder our allies

don't want to get into anything with him. His staff and his base are afraid to contradict him. The press is afraid that he will bite their heads off. You saw the display last night. How scary is that? He is unstable.

[chookie]

7. Can you imagine how the questioners felt?

Imagine you are Joe Undecided in St Louis. Through some quirk you are selected to read a question on national tv in front of millions. You are not a professional, not even used to public speaking of any kind. It's got to be very scary.

And then the president goes apeshit on your ass.

Must have been fucking weird.

Any reaction from any of those folks?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

12. He's sending mexed missages.

[TankLV]

5. He could rape little boys on stage with a priest officiating, & the whore

media wouldn't bat and eyelash.

[chookie]

6. Beheading Laura on live tv?

Still, Wolf would insist that she needed to die and that he killed her expertly and that Donald Rumsfled had handed him a sharp knife.

Their capacity for hypocrisy is breathtaking.

Let's see -- Howard Dean is nuts, because he gave a hoot and a holler at a rally. Is played and replayed and replayed.

But His Chimperial Majesty has a nervous breakdown on national tv, and they call it "strong"?

Gee -- he's gotten away with everything up to now -- don't see these bastards changing anytime soon.

The only chance is that (sane) Americans will reject the operating principle of "Who do you trust, me or your own eyes?" and make their ballot for reality on Nov 2.

[demgrrrll]

10. I understand exactly how you feel. If Kerry had done the same thing

all programming would be preempted for a 24/7 replay of his actions. I do not watch much of the cable news but my hunch would be that they are not playing his melt down with the same frequency that they did Dean's so called scream. I think if he had come out on the stage and spun around on one hand like one of the Three Stooges the pundits would have lauded his dexterity. Whoop Whoop Whoop, Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk.
What will it take? I have no idea.

[sonicx]

8. fuck a dead body?

[demokatgurrl]

14. I think that MIGHT do it. He has a lot of leeway. n/t

[Jade Fox]

9. The excellent James Wolcott on Bush's behavior and the media....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=78054&mesg_id=78054

[GingerSnaps]

11. We need to start asking your question on c-span during call ins

[Shopaholic]

13. Will Pitt has an excellent review of the debate on TruthOut

his last paragraph perfectly sums up the mental issues that Bush clearly has:

Bush was every inch the angry man on Friday night, which is dangerous enough. But to witness anger combined with belligerent ignorance, with a willful denial of basic facts, to witness a man utterly incapable of admitting to any mistakes while his clear errors in judgment are costing his country in blood, to see that combination roiling within the man who is in charge of the most awesome military arsenal in the history of the planet, is more than dangerous.
It is flatly terrifying.

Read the rest here: http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/101004Z.shtml

My question is this--what would the media do if this were Kerry (or any Democrat) acting this way? They'd be all over it. But I've heard very little in the way of criticism for the way that Bush acted during that debate and to me, quite frankly, it was frightening. And exactly what does explain the total change in his demeanor from last week to this week????

[GingerSnaps]

15. Will Pitt is so talented

I can only imagine that the rethug wished that they had someone like Will to be proud of.

[intheflow]

16. Abusing substances again?

Me and mine all thought he looked like a dry drunk on the first debate, or maybe even that he had taken a little sip-o-th' Sneaky Pete. (Perhaps the lump under his coat was a fifth of gin?)

Last night we all noticed him hopping and shuffling and clicking his teeth. Dexatrim? Cocaine?

Of course the vacant expression in his eyes both nights was no clue. Same ol', same ol': blank as a brand new wipe board.

And no mattter if on drugs or not, he rules like he is on drugs. On King George's reign, I say, ZERO TOLERANCE.

[Cronus Protagonist]

17. He could eat a baby live and they'd still whore for him