One school of thought is that Bush deliberately sat back and let Gore go on in order to let Gore hang himself.
Now the Republicans have documented 32 specific lies - about 1 every 3 minutes.
Some are trivial - "I have actually not questioned Gov. Bush's experience" - he does so constantly.
Some may be profoundly dangerous as when he said that the Russians disagree with our position that Slobodan Milosevic lost the September 24th election - he didn't but Gore's misstatement may force the Russians into that position.
Here's some evidence to add credence to the "rope-a-dope" theory:
Polls Give Gore the Debate Edge, But Rival Jumps on Exaggerations
By JACKIE CALMES and JEANNE CUMMINGS
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
WEST CHESTER, Pa. -- Al Gore may have beat out George W. Bush on many debating points in their first nationally televised confrontation, but the Texas governor moved more aggressively Wednesday to turn the vice president's words against him back on the campaign trail.
Snap opinion polls indicate voters gave Mr. Gore the advantage in the 90-minute debate marked by exchanges about tax cuts, new education and health-care programs and Social Security's future. But Mr. Bush and his Republican allies jumped on several assertions Mr. Gore offered in his arguments as fresh evidence of the vice president's penchant for exaggeration -- or worse.
Mr. Gore, it turns out, appeared to offer ammunition for the charge. He said he had accompanied federal emergency-management official James Lee Witt during a 1996 fire outbreak in Texas; in fact, as the vice president acknowledged Wednesday, he didn't accompany Mr. Witt during that disaster. He told debate moderator Jim Lehrer that "I have actually not questioned Gov. Bush's experience" to be president; in fact, Mr. Gore has done so repeatedly, as in a March campaign stop when he asked "a serious question: Does Gov. Bush have the experience to be president?"
.
.
.
"This is a man who's got a record, you know, of sometimes exaggerating in order to make a point," Mr. Bush told Fox News Wednesday, as his Republican allies scrambled to press the matter. "I think it's just a pattern, a disturbing pattern."
.
.
.
interactive2.wsj.com |
