Bill Press: Gore finally hits his stride
By Bill Press/CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- It's no coincidence that the
Yankees won the American League pennant the same
night Al Gore won the third debate. In both cases, the
world champions finally showed their stuff.
Actually, Gore didn't just win Tuesday night's
encounter. He owned it from the very beginning: taking
charge, challenging every assertion made by his
opponent, breaking the rules where necessary, making
his points clearly and forcefully.
From Democrats around the country, there were audible
sighs of relief. He's back, they said. The old, aggressive
Al Gore we knew is back. He didn't have a lobotomy,
after all
.
And they're right. If Gore had performed as well in the
first two debates, this campaign would have been over a
long time ago.
George Bush, by contrast, appeared tentative, if not
somnolent: unsure of himself and the issues. Instead of
responding to many of Gore's jabs, he sat there like a
bump on a log. Or, worse yet, he whined to moderator
Jim Lehrer about having to answer Gore's direct
questions. He didn't even belong on the same stage.
Unfortunately for Bush, this third and final debate
underscored both the prime ingredient for the
presidency and the major difference between the two
candidates: experience. Gore has it, and Bush does not.
Bush's lack of experience has long been his Achilles'
heel, but it was never so apparent -- because Gore never
made it apparent. That changed Tuesday night.
By repeatedly pushing him on specifics, Gore exposed
Bush for what he really is: a phony. A man who can
cram for a final exam, or debate, but still not understand
the issues. A candidate who can talk generalities, in the
most annoying monotone, but just can't grasp the
details. Someone who pretends to be what he is not.
Bush claimed to support a national patients' bill of rights,
but when Gore pressed him on whether he backed the
stronger version, the Dingell-Norwood legislation
backed by consumer groups, and not the weaker bill
endorsed by drug companies, the governor complained
about "this kind of Washington, D.C., focus, it's in this
committee, or it's got this sponsor" -- as if it makes no
difference. It does. Bush just doesn't get it.
Bush claimed to support something called "affirmative
access", but said he could never support affirmative
action because he was against numerical quotas. When
Gore correctly pointed out that argument was a red
herring, because quotas were no longer legal. "Do you
support affirmative action, as approved by the Supreme
Court?", Gore asked. Instead of answering, Bush
complained to Lehrer that Gore was breaking the rules.
But nowhere is Bush's lack of experience more obvious,
nor more critical, than on foreign policy. Especially
when contrasted with Gore. Asked what would qualify
him to resolve the conflict in the Middle East, Gore
rattled off an impressive string of accomplishments and
experience -- from volunteering to serve in Vietnam to
helping hammer together the most recent Middle East
peace summit.
Bush bragged: "I've been a leader." Meaning: he's been
governor of Texas, since that is his only record of
public service. He's lucky the audience didn't break out
laughing.
As governor, Bush has zero foreign policy experience,
except for occasional, perfunctory meetings with
Mexican officials, standard fare for any border state
governor, but surely no preparation for brokering a
tough agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Barak
and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Even on issues he did deal with as governor, Bush
inflates his record. Tuesday night, he claimed he had
brought Republicans and Democrats together to enact
the Texas version of a patients bill of rights. Not true.
The first year the Texas Legislature passed a patients bill
of rights, Bush vetoed it. The next year, he did nothing
to support the bill, even opposed several provisions --
and finally let the bill become law without his signature.
His belated claim of fathership for the measure is just
another Texan tall tale.
Normally, the third presidential debate doesn't mean
much because voters have already made up their minds.
But, with such a tight race, and so many undecided
voters, this year's experience could prove decisive
indeed. Tuesday's debate left no doubt. Al Gore is
qualified and ready to become president. George W.
Bush is not. Let the voters decide. |
