★ AMERICA VOTES 2004 ★
National: Iraq centerpiece of night
Local: Debates change some views
Continued from page 1A
South Korea in talks with North Ko
rea to defuse the crisis. Kerry advo
cated bilateral talks between the
United States and North Korea to find
a solution.
Kerry voiced concerns about con
ditions in Russia, saying that crack
downs initiated by Vladimir Putin go
beyond what’s necessary to combat
terror.
Bush said he had a good personal
relationship with Putin that “enables
me to better comment to him and the
better to discuss with him some of
the decisions he makes.” Bush said
Russia was a country in transition
and that would remind Putin “of the
great benefits of democracy. ”
The two men clashed time and
again over Iraq and the broader war
on terror.
Kerry said he had a four-part plan
to battle terrorists, and said Bush’s
could be summed up in four words
— “More of the same.”
“You cannot lead the war on terror
if you keep changing positions on the
war on terror,” retorted the president.
Kerry appeared to taunt the com
mander in chief at one point during
the debate when he said his father,
former President George H. W.
Bush, had stopped troops from ad
vancing on Baghdad after they had
liberated Kuwait during the 1991
Persian Gulf War.
Now, he said, the son ordered an
invasion of Iraq anyway, without an
exit strategy, and under conditions
that mean the United States has in
curred “90 percent of the casualties
and 90 percent of the cost.”
In response, Bush ridiculed his op
ponent, saying he denigrated U.S.
r
allies in the war, voted against an $87
billion measure to aid Afghanistan
and Iraq and sent mixed signals.
“What’s his message going to be?
Please join us in Iraq for a grand di
version?” Bush said to Kerry’s con
tention that he could summon broad
er international support for the war.
“They’re not going to follow some
one whose core convictions keep
changing because of politics.”
In response to one question, Kerry
said Bush had misled the country on
the war by pledging to plan carefully,
giving diplomacy every chance to
prevail and more. He said bin Laden,
the al-Qaida leader responsible for
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, had
used the invasion as a recruiting tool
for terrorists.
Bush said that was an “amazing
claim,” and said the United States,
not bin Laden, should decide Ameri
ca’s strategy in the war on terror.
Again, he said Kerry had changed
his mind on the war, but this time,
Kerry insisted that he had held one
consistent position.
“The only thing consistent about
my opponent’s position is he’s been
inconsistent,” said Bush.
Given the stakes, it was not sur
prising that the two campaigns nego
tiated what amounted to a 32-page
contract that covered debate details.
They ranged from the choice of mod
erator (Jim Lehrer of PBS) to the dis
tance between the candidate lecterns
(10 feet).
Even so, a last-minute controversy
flared, as Kerry’s aides objected to
the placement of timing lights on the
lecterns.
DEBATES:
MORE THAN MEETS
THE EYE
Continued from page 1A
audience. Gallup must submit its method
ology for choosing audience members to
both campaigns for approval.
In all debates but the Oct. 8 town hall-style
debate, audience members are forbidden
from asking questions or speaking during
the debates and the questions are select
ed by the moderator. In the town hall-style
debate, audience questions must be ap
proved and selected by the moderator "for
the sole purpose of avoiding (duplicate
questions,” according to the agreement.
The agreement also dictated how media
coverage of the debates is conducted. The
candidates are restricted from offering
challenges for more debates or accepting
debate-formatted television or radio air
time. Also, the agreement stated that tele
vision networks cannot shoot footage of
audience members, family of the candi
dates or shots of a candidate when he is
listening to his opponent speak. However,
in Thursday's debate, several networks did
show reaction shots of candidates.
-Jared Paben
DEBATE LINEUP
• Thursday at the University of Miami -
topics were foreign policy and homeland
security.
• (Vice-presidential debate) Tuesday at
the Case Western Reserve - topics will
be a mix of questions about domestic
and economic policy, foreign policy and
homeland security policy.
Source: Commission on Presidential
Debates
Continued from page 1A
Sophomore Cole Robinson, who
watched the debate at the event, said
Kerry clearly presented a more elo
quent case.
“Bush speaks a lot, but he does
n’t say anything,” Robinson said. “1
think he gives a much more solid
picture of his plans for Iraq than
Bush has.”
Robinson said Bush focused too
much on Kerry’s voting record.
“I think that Bush is a broken
television at the Town Club in Down
town Eugene to witness the debate.
College Republicans Chairwoman
Laura Jenkins said Bush "came out
on top” in the debate.
“After watching this debate, 1
think it’s really clear which candi
date stands firm on his goals, his
values, and what direction he’d like
this country to go in,” Jenkins said.
“It’s the real man versus the East
Coast elitist.”
Jenkins said Bush showed himself
record when he talks
about John Kerry
changing positions,”
he said.
Robinson also said
he agreed with Ker
ry’s message that
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to be a strong and
steadfast leader.
“1 thought Kerry,
on the other hand,
Kerry continued
to flip-flip,” she
said. “The debate
Saddam Hussein was removed from
power in an inappropriate manner.
Nicolas Peslin, an international stu
dent from France, said the candidates
reiterated the issue of Iraq but an
swered questions in a more straightfor
ward manner than he expected.
Peslin said Bush’s view that Amer
ica sought a multinational coalition
before attacking Iraq is not necessari
ly held by citizens of his country.
“America is not seen as very trust
ful,” he said.
Peslin added he feels that ties be
tween other nations and America will
improve if Kerry is elected.
“1 know the French people are not
in a position against America but in a
position against the Bush administra
tion,” he said.
Bush supporters
Members of the College Republi
cans were among nearly 150 people
who gathered in front of a big screen
really cleared up where each candi
dates stands.”
She emphasized that foreign poli
cy and homeland security are Bush's
strong areas.
“In general, the topic in this debate
was to his advantage.”
College Republicans member Tom
Albright said Bush dominated the re
buttals.
“His rebuttals were incredibly
articulate and witty,” he said.
“(He) backed up all of his argu
ments with fact and did not change
his position tonight, unlike some
other people. ”
Albright said many people under
estimate the president.
“People say he’s stupid,” he said.
“I say he’s stupid like a fox.
parkerhowell ©dailyemerald, com
News editor Jared Paben and news
reporter Meghann M. Cuniff
contributed to this story
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