Debate
posted in General |DEBATE
John Kerry is a good pitch man. To his supporters, he is articulate; to his non-supporters, he is glib. Either way, he is a word merchant who is comfortable in the environment of debate. He did well last week.
Debate is an interesting forum and I speak from first hand experience. I remember when the Debate Profs asked us to argue BOTH sides of an issue, and graded us on both sides. That's why John Kerry is a natural. And by the way, our issues were not softball pitches – like capital punishment, abortion, age limit on drinking, compulsory military training, and movie ratings.
There is a huge difference between debating and decision making. That's where I have a problem with Kerry. Not just a problem, several problems.
First of all, Kerry is in love with the vertical pronoun. I – I – I–, on and on. Not a good sign. I think he has a tough time getting from I to we. I guess he figures that if he is elected, Congress will just go away.
Second, Kerry has a very soft record on defense. Over the past 10-15 years he has consistently voted against major bills that would have upgraded our military programs. If he now has become a hawk, it must be a chicken hawk. I am not comforted by his obvious vacillations about Iraq — where he has both supported and opposed the war, and has both voted for and against war measures. His track record on defense is highly suspect. Or, maybe that is just an indication of debating skills. He can have it both ways. He's never wrong, just misunderstood. Sure!
Third, and possibly the most important, he is far too “internationalzed” for my tastes. Presumably he thinks that he can flip a switch, call his friend Jacque Chirac, bring in those big UN tigers, hold a big meeting, invite the terrorists, and make a deal to end the fanatical bombings and attacks. Oh, and also delay making decisions pending the satisfactory “solution” to these global terrorist problems. He thinks that the terroists are a misguided bunch of ragheads that can easily be controlled if not converted to civilized behavior. He just refuses to see a world wide war for what it is.
What better a forum for Kerry than the UN? There he can display his debating skills while seeking still another empty resolution. As Rome learned, Nero “fiddled while Rome burned”.
Debating enables you to have it both ways. That's where debating and decision making part company. When push comes to shove, Kerry is a debater. That's not good enough for me.