Bush to Larry King "I'm confident we'll have debates." Oh yeah?

[NightOwwl]

Wanna place your bets?

I'm paraphrasing, but I'm pretty damn close.

Larry King asks Bush if there will be debates:
Uh, uh, I uh, I wanna debate. I'm uh, confident we'll have debates.

Larry asks when:
Uh, I uh, Larry I, I'm sure my staff has taken care of it,

Larry tells him White House hasn't signed off yet.
Uh, well Larry, uh, I'm confident we'll have debates. They're uh, they're part of the uh, political process.

Someone's pants are on fire.

[yellowcanine]

1. Cheneying liar. The debate ball is in HIS court. Kerry has agreed

to the terms set by the commission. So WTF is he waiting for?

[Karenina]

2. This simply confirms to me

that debates are NOT going to happen. TURRURLERT! AN AY-RAB UNDER EVERY ROCK!!! My biggest concern ist that they will blow more Americans up to "prove" the "threat" is "real."

[enigmatic]

3. Having no debates would be off the charts..

in terms of Presidental Elections; I just don't see this happening w/o it being a major PR diaster for W. I can see 1 debate each for President and Vice-President; I'm sure that Rove is thinking he can get W back to reality for one debate, anyway..

[Killarney]

4. There will be debates. No question.

If Bush refused to debate, Kerry would win in a landslide. It would be unredeemable.

What's happening now is KKKarl is trying to make sure the debates are tilted to Bush until he signs up. Audience planted (for clapping for Bush only). Moderator complicit. Questions planted and pre-approved. Shit like that.

[Gin]

5. the debate will be (must watch TV)...did anyone notice the look on shrub's

face while Laura was talking at the beginning of the show? he looked so pathetic that I almost felt sorrow for him. (almost) He has the strangest expressions.

[devinsgram]

6. And * would look

like the coward he really is if there were no debates.

[lukasahero]

7. I really wish they wouldn't

I also believe that "they" are going to twist the debates to dumya's favor. Since the mainstream media makes me want to :puke: these days, has no frickin' cajones and will give dumya a pass no matter what happens anyway, it's better for us if he actually chickens out.

[John_H]

8. Have the Dems ressurected Chicken George yet?

[Norquist Nemesis]

9. Oh they'll have them but right now

I believe they are in the process of reducing expectations for Bush's performances. He does the "uh um duh" act then gets on the plane and starts practicing so he'll look like a champ if he only mispronounces three words.

I want them to make sure that Bush is sans the earpiece that talks to him during appearances!

[KharmaTrain]

10. The Nader Factor?

Just throwing this out and see if someone runs with it...

I've wondered, besides attempting to siphon 2 or 3 percent off Kerry's vote, how would a Nader candidacy help Bunnypants...so much so that GOOP fundraisers are working for Nader. By now it's becoming clear a lot of Nader's 2000 voters...the 2/3rds that are Democrats will "stay home" and support Kerry. Without a party endorsement and organization like 2000, Nader will be on fewer ballots and thus even less of a factor...except for the debates.

The preliminary debate formats I've seen lead me to rethink this earlier thought...that Nader is strictly being kept around as a third debate "partner"...ala Perot in '92 to cut Junior's talk time down to soundbites rather than elaborate answers.

Dumbya can't avoid the debates, but expect Rove to do all he can to pervert the format...bully the organizers to get his plants in both the panel and in the audiences and have influence on the choice of topics. What says RoveCo. intimidates the commission to allowing Nader to participate in at least one of the debates.

Discuss...

[NewJeffCT]

11. Bush will crush Kerry in the debates

Sorry, that's just how I feel.

Bush will be able to spit out factless patriotic platitudes while wrapping himself in the flag, while Kerry will give long, complicated answers full of facts.

Bush will come across as a regular guy, while Kerry will come across as an aloof, intellectual elitist.

Remember, in 2000, Gore came in with a reputation as a great debater after crushing Kemp & Perot previously. Kerry has no such reputation. In 2000, Bush spit out his platitudes and when he didn't look like a crazed, drooling lunatic, he was declared the winner over Gore. While Gore may have won on substance, Bush won on image and image is everything.

[ProfessorPlum]

13. Kerry was quite a good student

but what he really excelled at was the debate team.


But you are right, no matter what happens, the media will declare a Bush "win". So sad, reallly.

[Terran]

14. Kerry's not like that--I've seen him in public on stage

and he does NOT come across like a republican stereotype of an egghead policy wonk. He is witty and charming and is easy with anecdotes and personal history. I don't think you could be more wrong about him (and you're perpetuating a lie that the repugs want you to keep repeating).

[NightOwwl]

12. I still think it's a long-shot.

In all of that mumbling, not once did he say "Yes Larry, we will have the debates."

BTW, did anyone else notice him squirming in his chair like he had to get up and take a pee. I'll bet he was thinking of the journalists at the Unity speech who actually had the nerve to *gasp* snicker at him.

My bet? There will be no debates.