We Need to Go Beyond Online Polls to Burst Bubble

Tonight Kerry sliced and diced Bush, but the pundits missed it. However, the audience members in St. Louis didn't. You could watch them wincing as Kerry repeatedly slapped Bush down: (1) Missouri would be the third largest country in coalition if you all went; (2) when he repeatedly invoked other Republican's who criticized Bush (3) or when he looked Bush directly in the eye when he confronted him on his mistakes around war and economy.

Here is the letter I sent to local papers through Kerry campaign website. It's not great but it's something. Go forth and do the same:

"President Bush, our proverbial "boy in the bubble" had to encounter real people with actual questions tonight. And, much like a deathly ill child encountering germs for the first time, the results were not pretty.

"He tried to hide behind a mantra of lies: (1) we were restoring democracy in Iraq, even though we don't control major portions of the country; (2) he crowed over the 1.9 million jobs he "created" in America without acknowledging the millions lost; and (3) and (when all else failed) claimed it was all Clinton's fault (economy and North Korea).

"Adding insult to the self-inflicted injury of easily refuted lies, Bush launched into bully-boy mode. He began shouting at the audience when they looked at him askance, as though their reaction stemmed from a hearing affliction rather than an overabundance of common sense. When the moderator attempted to get him to follow the rules, he simply overrode him (much as he did with his military advisors. He finished it off by refusing to admit mistakes.

"Not only can we not afford another four years of George Bush, I'm not sure we can wait until January to replace him."