THE PRICE OF ARROGANCE
Junior Bush has always been a creature of arrogance. Propped up in an empty suit to run for president before he ran for governor of Texas (in fact, that’s why he ran for governor), Bush’s handlers moved him along by solidifying the GOP base, coddling the nut-right on social issues and promising rich benefactors and contributors the tax cuts and deregulation of their dreams. When Al Gore won the 2000 election and the counting of the vote was stolen from the people of Florida by the henchmen of Senior Bush, it was not a validation of any recognizable justice or law, certainly. Rather, it was the triumph of privilege for the anointed son. There is a beautiful set of black-and-white pictures I remember seeing of Senior, Junior and Jeb early the night of the election after the networks had called Florida for Gore. In one, Junior is on the phone, calling "someone" because this was wrong, all wrong. Indeed it was.
Tonight, the chickens came home to roost for the Accidental President. Standing like a deer in the headlights under the harsh glare of the lights and the attention of a nation that never liked him and has had every reason not to since he took office, the Bush edifice crumbled when challenged by a serious challenger. Sent out to the stage with 90 minutes to fill and lots of questions that needed answering, Bush haplessly repeated the message-of-the-debate (me strong, resolute; him vacillator, wrong message, etc.) as he withered under weight of his own failures.
This was the moment a lot of us have waited for. When I looked at the Democratic field of candidates late last year, it was clear Kerry was the only one that was strong and serious enough to look across the room at Junior and kick his ass. And that he did. In strong voice, confident, one hand in his pocket, the other thrusting the air, Kerry made mincemeat of the lesser man. At one point, Bush was gasping for air, flipping through the index cards in his head to think of something to say. When Kerry was talking, Bush pursed his lips, smirked, looked out into the audience and shared a silent inside joke with someone. Generally, he looked like someone who could not be bothered with this process. "I have all my issues set up by my campaign ads and my surrogates," he seemed to be thinking on the split-screen. "This is out of control. What am I doing here?"
What, indeed. Bush has been out of his depth for years, but it became crystal clear to millions of voters tonight. But consider the arrogance of the Bushies to send him out there with just a couple of lines and an ironic anecdote about meeting one of the widows he created in Iraq (he didn’t say, but I bet the encounter didn’t happen at a funeral). Bush really made the point for Kerry: He is steadfast and resolute. But steadfast, resolute and wrong is a bad combination.
Aaron McGruder, the writer of the brilliant Boondocks comic strip, summed it all up late tonight on CNN. "Bush got his ass kicked," he said. Then he said something that made even the sober Aaron Brown look up from his notes in shock and horror. All these smart people talking all over TV tonight, he said, and they are ignoring the "elephant in the room – that Bush is stupid." Brown recoiled as if a gust of hot wind hit his face and tried to soften this sudden intrusion of naked truth, but the truth it was.
George Bush reminded millions of American’s tonight why they don’t like him and wish he would go away. John Kerry, for the first time on the truly national stage, showed that he was serious, consistent and, above all, presidential. By morning, the Republicans will have five ads up, pulling quotes out of context and trying to heap more ridicule on Kerry. Let ‘em. Are you going to believe them or your own eyes? Kerry made a connection tonight. It won’t be so easy for the Bushies to smear him now. But they’ll try.
[Note: In the last post, I promised to write a review of the debate before listening to the commentariat. OK, so I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to know if they were going to spin this for Bush somehow, and they didn’t. Kerry won the debate by all measures.]
12:13:09 AM 
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