Did anyone notice Kerry's sweet manuever at the top of the debate?

[beaconess]

Before the debate, the word was that Bush has perfected a technique for making himself not look so diminutive next to taller men: when greeting them, he fully extends his right arm as if to shake their hand, but never moves in any closer. This forces the other, taller man to lean in toward him, thereby looking shorter and gives the appearance that he is not only closer in height to Bush, but that he is bowing to him.

Apparently Kerry was on to this trick. So, when they walked out on the stage, Kerry strode right up to Bush and practically got on top of him, looked down at him, and THEN grabbed his hand. Kerry leaned down to Bush, made some apparently pleasant comment to him, forcing Bush to look UP to him and slapped Bush on the back as if he were reassuring him. Bush clearly didn't like this at all and broke the clinch and scampered across the stage to his podium as fast as his little legs could carry him.

It was a masterful move by Kerry and helped set the tone right at the top.

Check it out - I'd love to know if people saw this the way I did.

[LisaM]

1. This must have been when he pulled off the big tie caper

forcing Bush to twist away, thereby making his tie get knocked askew. There's another thread on this - it's funny - Freepers figuring Kerry did this on purpose to put Bush at a satrorial disadvantage.

[dogtag]

10. Bush is at a sartorical disadvantage without the tie caper.

The Shrub just doesn't wear clothes very well. Kerry has natural elegance and a good tailor. His clothes always looks 'easy' on him. Shrub's entire body is chimpy and it doesn't matter how much they spend on his wardrobe, he looks like he shops at J.C. Penney's on sale days. Poor Shrub has no good features. Stubby hands, squinty eyes, dead possum hair, etc., etc., etc.

Call me superficial, but it will be so pleasant to look at a tall, imposing, attractive man again in the oval office.

[ZombieNixon]

22. Heeeeey!

:-( I shop at JC Penney's on sale days <softly, into hanky> :boo hoo:

J/K

[dogtag]

23. Sorry Zombie, didn't mean to make you cry.

[aquart]

45. Bush wears $5,000 suits. They ought to do more for him.

[Generator]

2. Yes I was watching for that

Kerry looked like a giant of a man next to a smarmy kid. Honestly.

[blondeatlast]

3. I've seen a picture of it somewhere.

A thing of beauty.

[Lancer]

4. Yes, I did.

Kerry is so nuanced and so attuned to little psychological tricks like that. Drives some people crazy but tells me he will be a great diplomat. :)

[Philostopher]

5. He forced Bush* to walk in front of him.

Both before and after the debate. Marvelous mindf*ck, that. No matter how they skewed that camera they had trained on Bush*, they couldn't cover up for the fact Kerry towers over him. Hell, apparently they couldn't cover up for that fact in any way, last night!

[demwing]

6. Absolutely correct

I heard about the Bush leaning shake, and thought Kerry would grab Bush's hand and pull him in, but had no idea how small Kerry could make Bush look!

Small, nervous, and on the defense.

[NightOwwl]

7. And that electric buzzer in Kerry's hand was the icing on the cake!

Oops, better watch what I say. Some freep will probably think I'm being serious.

[AgadorSparticus]

8. i saw kerry shake his hand and pull him close. i thought that was

very clever. bush was taken offguard right from the top. i agree. that set the tone for the debate.

[Carni]

9. LOL! How hilarious!

I didn't notice it, but now that you mention it, I recall seeing the whole exchange!

[renoray]

12. I missed the start...

I only watched part of the debate, although I have it on tape. I did look at Yahoo and the pictures they had of the two standing together and Kerry always looks dominant. It could have been the camera angle, but there were quite a few of Kerry standing in front of Bush, with Bush in the background that really made Bush look like a tiny little man who had been pushed out of the way. He wasn't in charge. There were the handshake photos, which apparently come across just like the footage on TV. Bush's photos are all of his face contorted with frustration, confusion, or both. Kerry clearly won. Bush didn't have a complete breakdown, and he could still "win" the debates if something major goes wrong, but Kerry is ahead 1-0. A 3-0 win would crush Doubya's chances to win a clean re-election.

[beaconess]

16. I think Kerry positioned himself so that he towered over him in EVERY

camera angle. It was brilliant!

[Carni]

17. I am not kidding Bush seemed to shrink throughout the evening

By the end of the debate he looked like an ooompa loompa

In addition...I just read today that the dummy requested a larger podium??? WTF??

Is the man so dumb, that he didn't realize the larger the furniture in front of him was, the smaller HE would look?

To me this just proves that he's so arrogant and pissy that he won't even listen to his handlers at this point in time.

I know the bushites are stupid, but I don't believe that none of his aides are smart enough to realize that a larger podium would make him look smaller-- the man is out of control!

[beaconess]

24. The Incredible Shrinking President - Wouldn't that be a great SNL skit?

Bush getting smaller and smaller and smaller with each question and then getting squashed under foot by the crowd rushing to congratulate Kerry at the end...

[renoray]

30. I like that

I don't know if the ending would be funny, but then it is an SNL skit so that doesn't matter.

The monkey man also seemed to slouch and almost cower in his body language which made him look smaller.

[Must_B_Free]

39. Who's an Oompah Loompah?

[Cha]

11. Are you kidding?! It was a blatant

manuever and I applaud Senator Kerry for doing it so Artfully!

[TrustingDog]

13. There was an excellent movie years ago, think it was called Power...

About image making in the politics field.
Tried Dogpiling but couldn't find it.

anyone familiar?
Think there was a hefty actor in it like Pacino...

[TrustingDog]

38. it was an amazing behind the scenes thing 'folks' (heh)

please help me dig this one up.

[arikara]

44. I remember it

Richard Gere was the actor I think.

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. I think Kerry told blinky........

"I'm gonna mop the floor with ya." And proceeded to do just that.

[beaconess]

18. It was great the way Kerry so obviously spoke first, and then slapped

him on the back, almost as if to reassure him, like a gracious older colleague. Bush looked so small and subservient.

It may be a small thing, but the fact that Kerry finessed that so well says so much about him - this guy is the guy I want representing us on the international stage!

[cliss]

15. what are the heights of these two men?

How tall is Kerry? I read that he's 6'2", or 6'3" if you include the hair.

And BeetleBush?

[Carni]

19. Bush claimed to be 6'2" in 2000

If that dork is over 5'8" I would be surprised.

[beaconess]

20. Kerry is 6' 4" Bush is supposedly 5' 11", but I think he's really an inch

or two shorter.

[BillZBubb]

21. Yep, you pretty much got it right.

Bush* had to make an obvious, hard pull to undo the handshake. I made sure to tune in early because I wanted to see how that would unfold. Kerry handled it perfectly.

[beaconess]

25. Do you think that's at least part of the reason Bush was so off his game?

That Kerry so mind-screwed him at the top by messing with him physically that he never quite recovered?

[sexysenior]

26. Yup, I saw it

and I think it helped Kerry set the stage (pardon the pun) for the rest of the debate. Took Bush by surprise and he never re-couped.

[Gloria]

27. Bush slapped Kerry on the back at the end....anybody notice that??

So I think it was sort of tit for tat.....Obviously trying to "counter" his dismal performance?

[beaconess]

29. Actually, he was asking Kerry to give his drawers back . . .

[beaconess]

28. Photo

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

31. I was half expecting them to make the candidates stand in one of those

distorted rooms to give an optical illusion of greater shrubya height.

[paulk]

32. I really noticed it the 2nd time I watched the debate

I was thinking beforehand that Kerry should say something like, "hey, Shorty, I'm gonna kick your ass." at the opening handshake. Looks like he sorta did that...

I wonder what Kerry DID say to Bush?

[GeorgeBushytail]

41. I think Kerry told Bush

BRING IT ON!!!

[crickets]

33. Not only did he lean in toward Bush,

Kerry held on to his hand until the last second. As Bush turned to go, Kerry didn't release; he stood still and did not let go. There's a visible yank as Bush is walking away. It's pretty funny.

[yardwork]

34. Yes - I noticed it. Kerry held onto chimp's hand like glue!

Kerry figuratively stuck a knife in chimpy's ribs repeatedly last night. Kerry did this while smiling and saying "nice" things.

For the first time last night I saw Kerry the warrior. I saw the man who chased and killed an enemy combatant. I would not want John Kerry as an enemy.

I have a feeling that John Edwards is the same kind of man.

[Lisa]

37. both authority figures ...

I agree, yardwork. John Edwards downplays that part by smiling and joking, but it's there, all right. My father, a teacher and truant officer for 30 years, had that kind of air about him so I've learned to recognize it. The gentlest man you could imagine, but if somebody tried to hurt one of the kids in his jurisdiction, he would spend months or years if necessary, trying to make sure the child was safe and that there would be consequences. People still come up to me on the street and say, "your dad changed my life, I'd be dead if it weren't for him".

These two men are definitely grownups. If somebody crosses them, that person had better be afraid. Bush goes after people with petty vindictiveness. Kerry and Edwards are lawyers who are used to going after large, powerful entities -- hunting them, in effect -- and doing it by the book, with intelligence and skill. They are respected and have many allies, while Bush's cronies support him out of greed or fear, and are apt to cut and run when things go sour (look at all the defections from the administration just in the past year, for example). The fact that Kerry doesn't flaunt his military experiences actually makes him a more dangerous adversary for those who'd threaten the US, because you know he's not going to be distracted by the lure of loot or easy targets, the way Bush was.

[Chichiri]

35. I honestly didn't notice -- I was too busy laughing...

...at the obvious lifts in Bush's shoes. Honestly, could he be any more pathetic?

[BiggJawn]

36. He used the "Elbow Grab", too.

Not being well-versed on the butt-sniffing culture of "The Suits", I can't remember why, but I recall that is a big thing, somehow...I've seen Clinton do it.

[txindy]

40. I saw it!

I pointed it out to my kids, too. "See how far * has to tilt his head back to look at Senator Kerry?" And later, "Did you know that * is shorter than your Dad?" They were ROFL! Hey, it's all true!

[DemBones DemBones]

42. Kerry played it all very, very well. That initial move during the

handshake probably was a major cause of George's petulant expression and peevish comments.

George brough a small pocketknife to a gun battle.

[Demonaut]

43. you hit it!