presidential debate

I watched bits and pieces of the debate last night, in a conference room at work. Some thoughts:

- To me, it's telling that both President Bush and Secretary Rumsfield seem to mix up Osama bin Laden with Saddam Hussein on a regular basis.

- Jim Lehrer is the man. He asked good questions, he was respectful but authoritative, and he kept the audience in line. Although, I wish he could have said something when he asked if the invasion of Iraq made it more or less likely that we would use force in another country, and the president ducked the question.

- I try to avoid watching President Bush speak, because it makes me ill. As a result, I was surprised and horrified by his speaking skills, while others apparently had lower expectations.

- I still don't like Senator Kerry. He did a good job as a debator, and he made some great points (not hard to do in his situation), but he's too much of a lawyer and a politician. If he loses, I think that will be why.

I was listening to the radio after work and one of the radio commentators said he was an "isolationist libertarian" and a registered Republican but he was going to vote for Kerry because for him, this was a one-issue election, and that issue was the war on Iraq.

To me, this is a two-issue election. I can't vote for President Bush because of the terrible mistake he has made in declaring war on Iraq. I can't vote for Senator Kerry because he has said the US does not have an obligation to help Taiwan, at a time when US military support is crucial to Taiwan's future. I also dislike Ralph Nader very much. I guess I will research other "third party" candidates.