What did we learn about Bush from the last debate?
He doesn't believe terrorism can ever be reduced to a "nuisance," which means he believes the War of Terror will be a war without end.
Not only has he seemed to have forgotten Osama bin Laden, he has forgotten what he has said about the Al Qaeda leader, probably because he's not "that worried about him."
Katrina vanden Heuvel
What did we learn about Bush from the last debate?
He doesn’t believe terrorism can ever be reduced to a “nuisance,” which means he believes the War of Terror will be a war without end.
Not only has he seemed to have forgotten Osama bin Laden, he has forgotten what he has said about the Al Qaeda leader, probably because he’s not “that worried about him.”
Outsourcing is okay with Bush when it comes to the flu vaccine. First he tried England (payback for Iraq?) then Canada, the same country he will not allow seniors to buy cheap prescription drugs from, saying it’s too dangerous.
Bush says Kerry’s empty promises are called “bait-and-switch.” His are called individual retirement and health savings accounts.
The deficit was not caused by Bush’s massive tax cuts and record spending. It’s the fault of the Clinton recession, the stock market crash, and the attacks of 9/11. In the Bush administration, they pass the buck like a hot potato.
He sent his budget man up to Congress to show how he plans to reduce the deficit by half in five years. The budget man hasn’t been heard from since.
He believes his tax cuts were “fair” because “most” of the money went to low- and middle-income Americans. Would he like some cheese with that Whopper?
He says the answer to unemployment and minimum wage jobs is No Child Left Behind. Apparently the poor and jobless should go back to grade school.
He believes health care costs have increased by 36 percent under his watch because the health industry is still in the “buggy and horse days.” His solution: the Internets.
Bush really wanted to extend the assault-weapons ban but didn’t push it because he was told it was never “going to move” in a House and Senate controlled by his party.
Actually, Bush did meet with the Congressional Black Caucus. It was the NAACP he snubbed. Clearly, he has a nuanced position on black leadership.
He doesn’t know if being gay is a choice or not, which prompted Chris Matthews to wonder: when did Bush decide to be straight?
Finally, he prays a lot. And since he’s become president, so do we.
Katrina vanden HeuvelTwitterKatrina vanden Heuvel is editorial director and publisher of The Nation, America’s leading source of progressive politics and culture. She served as editor of the magazine from 1995 to 2019.