“Want some wood?”…Hmmm, no thanks. But that’s our president for you. And sadly, our only other alternative is someone who thinks he deserves our votes just because he has a few military guys backing him up. And he is supposed to be liberal?! Interesting. I’m sorry to say this, but our choices for who will lead our country are starting to seem just as limited as this weekend’s movies. But hey, at least we’re a bit better off now, having learned what these guys claim to believe, as opposed to the endless stream of bashing that’s been coming from both sides during the past few weeks.

The first debate between President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry was one of little excitement. Bush said he would be reelected, and well, Kerry wouldn’t be. However, to Kerry’s credit he did keep our commander in chief on his toes, on the defensive. While he assured the American people that both he and Bush love our country equally, Kerry claimed that he would be the most effective at mending our alliances. He declared that Bush had made a “colossal error of judgment,” and that good judgment is the main thing people look for in a president. He also argued that Bush had broken his promise to go to war only as a last resort.

Bush retorted, saying he had to make tough decisions, and that at least people know where he stands. Bush went on to say that we must protect our children and spread liberty. “We must take all threats seriously,” he announced, and stated that the United States should look at the world differently after September 11. After all, we are on a mission to “defeat the ideology of hate,” and to stop the group of killers. In other words, BE AFRAID, very afraid!

The debate continued for a long ninety minutes, with the two candidates arguing over what should be the central issue of the war on terror. Kerry said the real threat is in Afghanistan, and that it is wrong to have ten times more troops based in Iraq. Bush on the other hand, argued that we have the capabilities to take on both countries, and that we must, in order to be strong and on the offensive. They then made their closing statements, with Bush failing to come up with enough to fill the two minutes given.

Friday’s debate, the second between the two, was a bit more theatrical, and in the famous “town hall” setup. The questions were asked by audience members, and while the debate started off yet again on the subject of the war, the moderator seemed to decide that the issue had been exhausted, and quickly moved on to conflicts a little closer to home. Issues of homeland security, the environment, and abortion were all touched upon. The two candidates disagreed about allowing the use of Canadian drugs, funding for the No Child Left Behind Act, and the methods of how to provide all seniors with Medicare.

Stem-cell research was also discussed, as well as plans to recover the economy. Kerry stressed the point that Bush was the first president to lose jobs in seventy-two years, and Kerry swore that he wouldn’t raise taxes for people making less than two hundred thousand dollars. Bush took every opportunity to bash Kerry’s record, and made it seem as though the Democratic candidate has been inconsistent during his last twenty years in the Senate.

The Vice President and Vice Presidential candidate also had a debate. Republican Dick Cheney and Democrat John Edwards went at it with vigor, both laying a solid foundation for their running mates. While many of the issues discussed were the same as those in the Presidential debates, Edward’s limited political experience was a recurring theme. However, Edwards effectively held his ground, and proved that he is more than capable of leading the country. Cheney was able to make up for Bush’s mistakes, and put him back into the running.

All in all, the debates have proven quite effective. Bush even used a big word- vociferously. However, the candidates demonstrated yet again, that the line between the Republican and Democratic parties is shrinking. The differences between what each man said were slight, with Kerry vowing that he would hunt down and kill the terrorists, but smartly. Yet, why should we expect any difference between the two? According to ingenious documentary filmmaker and political activist Michael Moore, the two parties have essentially become one.

Moore states that the only real difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that “the Democrats say one thing (Save the planet!), and then do the opposite - quietly holding hands behind the scenes with the -------- who make this world a dirtier, meaner place. The Republicans just come out and give the -------- a corner in the West Wing.” Hopefully, Kerry can prove Moore wrong.

What would be really interesting to know is what Kerry and Bush were saying when they shook hands at the beginning and end of the debates. They were almost too friendly and warm, as if they were laughing at the same inside joke, saying ‘Ha! We’re screwing them over and they don’t even know it!’