Kerry has to throw a wrench into the ReThug spin machine. It's not so much throwing Bush off his game that matters--it is throwing his campaign machine of kilter that needs to be accomplished.
Here's one way. A closing statement that includes something like:
When George Bush was running for president the last time, he said he was going to change the tone in Washington. He has. For the worse.
Now, whenever anyone tries to get beyond this administration's fantasy world of spin, the President and his minions change the subject by mocking the messenger, instead of addressing the issues that matter.
This all started when, four years ago, Al Gore courageously pointed out George Bush's fuzzy math--and was derided for it by the pundits in the media. Ever since, the Bush campaign, and, I'm afraid, the media, have used personal attacks to evade discussing the facts--even while, for instance, the social security lockbox was indeed being pilfered by the Republicans. For the sake of our republic, we need a new seriousness in our politics.
So I challenge the media, in its debate coverage this time, to stick to reviewing the facts about what's going on in the world, and about what each of us plans to do. Don't let the Bush campaign smirk its way past the deadly serious issues that face us. We can't afford for that to happen again"
Anyone have any other ideas along these lines? Again, not so much for "gotcha" "zingers" as for ways to frame the post-debate spin contest so as to make the BushCo tactics seem as puerile as they are.