SLUG: DEBATEREPORTER: CHRIS COLEDATE: 10/3/04 HEADLINE: CONTRIVED DISPLAY AT PRESIDENTAL DEBATE 

President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry took to the stage Thursday in the first of three face-to-face debates.

The debate lasted 90 minutes and was carefully orchestrated. Thirty-two pages of rules determined everything from how candidates had to respond to questions to how high the podiums stood. Brad Dyke, an Ankeny political science professor, said debates such as these are highly staged. “There are very few impromptu questions,” he said.

The focus of the debate was foreign policy and homeland security. Initial questions were about 9/11 and its impact on the U.S. When asked about a statement Vice-President Dick Cheney made that a 9/11-type of attack would occur if Kerry is elected Bush responded, “I don’t believe that’s going to happen.”

Both Kerry and Bush avoided answering questions about whether or not the U.S. should use preemptive strikes in the war on terror. Bush said he understands the stakes in the war on terror and that the U.S. must deal with threats before they fully materialize. Between quarreling over North Korea’s nuclear situation and the pre-emptive war doctrine, the two argued about Iraq.

Kerry said it could be possible to begin bringing troops home in six months under his administration. He told the silent crowd that other countries have a stake in Iraq as well. Bush kept his comments more broad, saying the time to bring troops home would be when “Iraq was able to defend itself.” Kerry didn’t comment on re-instating the draft, but Bush promised that military service would remain voluntary.

At one point President Bush said he went to war with Iraq because “the enemy attacked us.” To which Kerry responded, “The president just said something extraordinarily revealing and, frankly, very important in this debate. In answer to your question about Iraq and sending people into Iraq he just said the enemy attacked us. Saddam Hussein didn’t attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us. Al Qaeda attacked us.”

Bush quickly said, “Of course I know Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that.”Both Kerry and Bush agreed that the biggest threat facing the U.S. today is weapons of mass destruction. Kerry added that he plans to discontinue the missile defense program if elected.

Though the debate followed strict rules, the candidates and the television networks worked around them. Bush cut in on occasion, asking for additional 30 seconds to respond to questions. The networks used a split-screen to show both candidates at once, allowing viewers to see their reactions to one another’s statements.

Afterwards, it was matter of figuring out who came out with a lead. “Kerry got a slight edge,” Dyke said, adding that Bush’s two-minute conclusion wasn’t strong but stuck to his message.”

Dyke’s comments were echoed by many political pundits. “Kerry was aware that the camera was always on him,” said Jeff Greenfield, CNN political analyst. Greenfield also said he didn’t see any type of “combustible moment” between Bush and Kerry.

Dyke said this debate shouldn’t have changed the minds of voters, as most have decided which candidate they’ll cast their ballot for. It’s mostly about “who’s going to win the beauty contest,” he said.

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