Georgie Porgie, Puddin' and Pie,Big John Debated and Made Georgie Cry

We can dream, can't we? Xan at corrente posts his hope for John Kerry at Thursday night's debate:

I'll tell ya the line I would most like to hear Kerry say and don't expect to: "Mr. Bush says he will do better at protecting America from terrorist attack. I hope that means that the next time he gets a memo saying "Bin Laden Expected to Attack Inside US" he will do something other than go on vacation."

And Hullabaloo's Digby quotes from and links to James Fallows' in-depth look at the candidates' debating styles, "When George Meets John" (in The Atlantic Monthly). Fallows examines how surprisingly articulate - in retrospect - Bush was early on as governor of Texas. An articulateness that allowed him to avoid directly answering questions more gracefully than he does now. Texans were persuaded and were no doubt pleased when Bush was elevated to the presidency after leaving their state in a shambles.

The episode referenced by Digby reveals more of the ugliness underneath the Bush rock and clashes with the admiration expressed earlier in the article for Bush's speaking abilities. The whole Bush clan, from Poppy and Barb on down, seems to be rotten to the core with viciousness.