Who's the greatest debater of all time?

[Frank Booth]

Socrates, Abraham Lincoln, or John McCain?

[Hard Leftt]

1. Nazi Alert

Nazi in aisle 4

[Frank Booth]

2. Huh?

[Hard Leftt]

3. Sorry

I was so excited that I thought I found a troll I didn't read the bottom of your McCain/Palin sign. LOL

My superhero powers are weak.

[Frank Booth]

9. No problem. Keep practicing.

[jeff30997]

22. I don't think it will be possible...

Ironically Mr "I thought I found a troll" have received a large and heavy pizza.

[Cha]

4. mccain is

the right answer. mccain has HIGH expectations going into the debate on Friday night in Mississippi.

[Frank Booth]

7. Yes. If McCain's performance isn't something that will be taught in schools for years

to come, it will be a humongous disappointment. It'll be yet more proof that the Mav just don't got it like he used to.

[Cha]

11. And, we'll all be right

there with HIGH Expectations:bounce:

[curious one]

5. Sarah Palin!

[Frank Booth]

8. That's a good one.

But sadly, I have a feeling we've already lost the expectations game with Sarah. If her debate performance is even slightly better than Stockdalian, it'll be considered a success.

[boppers]

6. Qualye/Palin FTW!

Best ticket ever!

:P

[TheKentuckian]

10. I'm going with John Sidney McCain here!

Especially on his home turf of Foreign Policy. My hope is that Obama can hold his ground.

[Tigress DEM]

12. I would have to say Socrates, no offense to Lincoln.

I was thinking Plato* because of how much his writing influences current styles of debate, but since he was spurned to reject the upper crust of his day when Socrates was executed for teaching young people to think for themselves and question authority...

So I defer to Socrates who basically gave Plato every reason to futher the cause of intellectual freedom and to understand the great cost of such dedication in a world of cretans** who were probably the first to consider the Rovian strategies yet to come. (IE: If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with *ushit.)




**
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimenides_paradox

Epimenides was a Cretan who made one immortal statement: "All Cretans are liars."
The self-referential paradox arises when one considers whether Epimenides spoke the truth.




http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/plato/platos_page.htm
<snip>
Plato was an Athenian, an aristocrat, connected with the ancient royal family. He was born in 428 BC and grew up during the Peloponnesian War (431 BC - 404 BC). His experience of politics was thus not of Pericles, but of the demagogues like Cleon and Hyperbolus. Several of his relatives were involved in anti-democratic politics, especially Critias, his uncle, who was one of the Spartan-appointed "thirty tyrants" after Athens lost the war. Plato himself was not a supporter of democracy and admired the more organised constitution of Sparta.

The final straw was when Socrates, whom Plato admired immensely for his teaching and way of life, was executed in 399 BC - at the age of 70 - for "corrupting the youth" (i.e. encouraging them to criticise what they were taught, and to think for themselves). He left Athens and visited Libya ( for mathematicians) Egypt (for prophets and mystics), Italy (the Pythagoreans) and Sicily (where, as tutor to the royal family, he failed to put his ideas into practice: he was sold as a slave - but was freed by a Libyan friend who also gave him money to buy some land back in Athens).

In this land (about 380 BC) he founded the Academy - so-called because it was in the middle of beautiful parkland near a grove sacred to an old hero called Academus. There he stayed (apart from two more equally disastrous trips to Sicily), discussing philosophy and teaching students both male and female until his death at the age of 81. It is said that in the course of his long life no one ever once saw him laugh.

[Zavulon]

13. Dan Quayle.

He simply smoked Lloyd Bentsen. :rofl:

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

14. Cicero

without any question,

He appealed to nothing but reason.

And he wouldn't be elected to a city council seat today. He was a "Smart Elitlst" not one of "us" like Evita Mooselini.

Dog help us.

[grantcart]

15. McCain taught Lincoln how to debate

[jeff30997]

19. And don't forget that...

he also taught Socrates how to debate.That was when McClaps was younger of course.

[No Elephants]

16. How many here heard Socrates or Lincoln? Quick, raise your hands.

[jeff30997]

20. I did !

[No Elephants]

21. LOLOLOL!!!

[truthisfreedom]

17. The Clenis.

*washes hands quickly*

And I loved every minute of it.

[slackmaster]

18. Clarence Darrow