This is Bush's best performance to date

[WilliamPitt]

Third time's the charm, eh?

He's doing well to use Kerry's statements against him...twisting them, and Kerry is doing very well in batting them down...but Bush sounds more like a human than he has in the other two.

The lies are going to doink him in the end, and there's about an hour left, so nothing is done. The smirking and the weird faces are still there, and that spit booger in the corner of his mouth was just nasty. 38 minutes in, however, and I see a more coherent Bush than I've seen.

[yardwork]

1. 3 blatant lies so far - OBL, pell grants, and kerry's bills

[NewJeffCT]

22. I got interrupted - what did he say about Osama?

I heard Kerry nail Bush over the 'don't care' about bin Laden... what did Bush say in response?

[yardwork]

24. bush said that bush never said that about obl

blatant lie. he's on video saying it.

[Lex]

2. They finally got the medication right this time for Smirk.

It's caused his mouth to screw up though.

[bushwakker]

3. i'm listening on the radio and he sound awful to me

he really sounds like he's reading script - badly.

[GreenArrow]

12. I agree

he sounds awful.

[Starlight]

20. I'm *really* starting to believe he's using a wire. n/t

[MissB]

4. Up until that "Oh, never mind" I might have agreed. (nt)

[Eurobabe]

5. this is pathetic, he is at his most obnoxious

[Tim_in_HK]

6. agreed n/t

[RadiDem]

7. Yes, but his maniacal laughing is making him appear even MORE unhinged

than debate 1 or 2.

[betterdeadthanred]

8. Yer kidding, right?

I can't see him, but I hear him, he is stampering and stuttering all over the place. He was better (if not furious) last debate.

[PretzelWarrior]

9. I'll take your word for it. But doesn't Kerry have some zingers saved?

He's GOTTA have 'em. This economy is sluggish at best. People feel depressed about the future and Bush fatigued.

He's really got to do some more damage and seal it. Bush doesn't even care about these debates.

He's going to slime Kerry for 3 weeks.

[PDittie]

10. He just lost his train of thought

Granted, it's not hard to derail an HO guage...

Still, that was a fuckup.

He's starting to yell again, also.

[Guaranteed]

And Kerry's still winning easily. nt

[TrogL]

11. He sounds like a screaming demagogue

I've got the debate on loud but I'm having to deal with something on the other side of the house. I can hear Dubya screaming like Hitler and then Kerry comes on with his mellow tones. I can feel myself relax.

[booksenkatz]

13. The jokey yuks make me feel like I'm watching a bad lounge act, though.

[snooper2]

14. This is the worst I've seen him, and he's foaming at the mouth

This is the fucking President!

[spooky3]

15. he's better prepared with so many lies, Kerry doesn't have time to refute

all of them. Unfortunately, the audience doesn't always know what the truth is.

[drdtroit]

16. He looks and sounds like

a freakin' drunk. Are you???

[rocktivity]

17. No argument here--This IS the best Bush has been

But he's not beating Kerry. He's still whining, throwing mini-tantrums and making personal attacks. Fortunately Kerry's been able to handle it, and sting him on his deficit and medical care to veterans policies.

[Beetwasher]

18. No Way, He's WAAAY Worse than Last Week, But Maybe Not As Bad as #1

n/t

[InhaleToTheChief]

19. Listening on the radio, it seems like his best...

...second one seemed like his worst. I thought he lost it.

[gristy]

21. whaaaaaaaaaaaa?

huh? Can I get some of what you're smokin' Will? Yummm.

[NEOBuckeye]

23. This is Bush's best so far.

He's going on the offensive, while Kerry's more on the defensive. Anyone who reads my posts here knows I can't stand Bush, but even I have to admit that he looks better now than he has in quite a while.

It's still not saying much for him, though.

[delete_bush]

25. I'm guessing that viewership is going to be the

least for this debate. Baseball games are on at the same time, there have already been 2 debates, one just last Friday. For avg Joe this has got to be somewhat boring, too technical and constrained by the podium type format. Probably won't change many votes one way or the other.

[devilgrrl]

26. Ah... I know you're smarter than me but I beg to differ.

:shrug:

[disgruntled_goat]

27. thats the dumbest thing

ive ever read from you

are you posting drunk??

[Anarcho-Socialist]

28. I agree, but he won't be able to hide from fact-checking

that will take place tomorrow. Although the liberal media will try to convince us all Bush* won by the time the truth filters through.

[merh]

29. The left side of his mouth looks like he has had a stroke or the

botox has faded. It is so bizarre - it is dropping and he can't seem to keep it up.

He is more coherent tonite.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

30. He is still pissy and defensive

I've talked to a few people who are really tired of this angry little man slapping the podium, smirking his ass off, and laughing at inappropriate times.

And did he say "your colleauge, Ted Kennedy, the CONSERVATIVE senator from Massachusetts?" Did he really say that? He didn't even CATCH it and I really don't think he was being ironic. I've never known him to be that sophisticated.

THAT was funny.

Kerry is still hot.

[Uzybone]

31. totally disagree

this is almost as bad as debate 1. Kerry is hammering the heck out of him. At one point Bush had to say "WHEW".

[progressivebydesign]

32. If you find a drooling, giggling, vacant stare the best?? wow.

YOu have low expectations.

[tarheel_voter]

33. no way, I can't see why you posted this thread

Shrub is saying more lies in each sentence possibly, yes he is much better in that category. I grant you that ;-)

[TheDonkey]

34. he's not shouting BUT I'm surprised with all his practice he's doing bad

Kerry is exceeding my expectations

[Texas_Dem]

35. The three faces of Shrub.

[rumguy]

36. take your toys and go home

freeper

[GiovanniC]

37. CBS Undecideds Don't Agree

Bush is in the basement. Kerry is skyrocketing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/home/main100.shtml

[Spiffarino]

38. Just wait

...until the nose candy wears off. Then he'll get downright grumpy.

[Johnny 99]

39. That's pretty sad

If this is the best he can do, yikes, he's bad.

[Blue_Roses]

40. he's obviously fake

someone keeps telling him to smile...

[sbj405]

41. That's not saying much. The bar was pretty low.

Like getting an F on your mid term and then getting a D- on your final. Improvement - yes. But still piss poor.

[Gabi Hayes]

42. quick! somebody contact Will Pitt! tell him they got his login

info

hurry!

[HuskerDem]

43. Spit booger? You lucky dog, you must have HDTV

Don't have that kind of rez at our house, but he does look like a pissy old woman.

[Minimus]

44. spit booger - LOL

[Northwind]

45. Agreed

I expected him to improve. Knew they would be coaching him extensively. Also expected that he would become more used to the earpeice.

Fortunately for us, Bush's best day is still a steaming pile of pony loaf. :D

[Gregorian]

46. Yep. They've just dialed in his drugs, and earpiece.

Got just the right combination of uppers and downers and happy-ers.

And why is he PURPLE?

[fishnfla]

47. The lies will doink US first and foremost

He never gets called out on his lies

[chum]

48. Actually - Kerry's worst performance

Kerry is as good on the facts - but his energy is down. Like he's tired.

[Onlooker]

49. I think Kerry's doing much better than Bush

Bush occasionally does well, but a number of times he's sounded somewhat confused, made stupid jokes, or twisted facts in obvious ways. Bush is doing okay, but I think the edge easily goes to Kerry.

[spanone]

50. You are right Will, and it is pathetic.

[WilliamPitt]

52. Right? That's the point.

[MissB]

54. It took me a longggggg time to get your point

Mostly because I'm chatting on Yahoo, listening to/watching the debate and following this board.

[phirili]

51. You're very wrong.

[MissB]

53. Pretty sad commentary

I'm not slamming you, Will. It's just a pretty sad commentary that this is as good as it gets with Bush.

I keep seeing him look at Kerry while Kerry is talking. He has that look that says, "Wow, Kerry really knows what he is talking about."

[DemBones DemBones]

55. He's doing so much better that I want to see photos of his back!

Of course I'm sure they've learned to use a smaller receiver and not put it on his back.

But the lying is off the chart and the twitching mouth and blinking eyes are significanr "tells."

[Cleita]

56. The darting beady eyes with the silly smile didn't help.

Now he's back to the blinking eyes and smirking. He looks like he's about to lose his temper while Kerry talks about the National Guard and home security.

[drfemoe]

57. It has put Kerry on his game too, though

The best of both, imo.

Of course, JK has shined for all three.

[NightOwwl]

58. Sure, if you think drooling, spitting, smirking, and lying

rates a good performance.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

59. * ain't the only one hittin' the sauce tonight.

[mzmolly]

60. I think he sucks tonight. Though he generally does, I think his 2nd

debate performance was better. :shrug:

[ibegurpard]

61. He's trying much harder to control his facial expressions.

His mouth seems frozen when he's not speaking. I agree, however, that he seems to have it under control better tonight. Kind of pathetic that it takes 3 TIMES for him to finally approach some semblance of competence.
Kerry, on the other hand, has been cool, composed, and unflappable for each of the three.
If your basis for choosing was these three debates, which one would you choose? George I, George 2, George 3, or Kerry?

[incapsulated]

62. Not to me

He's been better than the first meltdown, of course. But equally bad as the second, worse in some ways.

[AgadorSparticus]

63. he's completing his sentences and cutting down on the mental farts.

i'll give you that. but the tempermental screeches and impatient interruptions along with the usual facial distortions and lies, lead us right back to debates 1 and 2--sheer disaster. he's lost the election in my book. this is over.