Opinion:

The first debate, a political Rorschach test

I didn't have a chance to see the debate, it was on at 3AM here in France, and I had an early morning meeting on Friday. Reading the various reactions in different weblogs though, I've found that it serves as a wonderful Rorschach test to reveal the writer's political views.

What is interesting is that many of those who say that "character" is important and have been decrying the apparent lack thereof on the part of John Kerry are silent about the facial expressions of George W. Bush during the debate, especially when directly challenged. I have always used body language as a way to "read" people, and I have never liked the body language I have seen displayed by George W. Bush. That is one of the key reasons I am uneasy with him as President. I get the strong impression that he has the characteristics described by James Wolcott, albeit Wolcott's description is in an over-the-top and excessively rude manner:

Bush's face suffered a silent outbreak of Tourette's Syndrome; he grimaced, smirked, sniffed, rolled his eyes, and did some weird thing with his mouth that as yet has no diagnostic name. He was President Twitchy, giving a performance that critics hailed as "peevish" and "petulant."

We've seen President Twitchy before. When Helen Thomas persisted in asking Bush why he was trying to tear down the walls between church and state, and wouldn't be sluffed off with one of his standard nonanswers, Bush, as I wrote in Attack Poodles, went through a battery of irked expressions that ended with him imitating Tony Perkins in the final shot of Psycho, looking as if he had a fly on his nose.

Since then Bush has been wheeled out into forums where no one can dare question or contradict his majesty, where he can lean forward and repeat ad nauseam his patented soundbites. Last night I believe we saw the ugly comeback of the private face of Bush--the irritable expressions he flashes subordinates when he's presented with information he doesn't like or feels someone's taken up too much of his time or is pressed to explain himself to people he shouldn't have to explain himself to because he's the president and fuck you. The notion that Bush is "likeable" has always been laughable. It takes a Washington pundit to be that dumb. He's an angry, spoiled, resentful little big man--I use "little big man" in the Reichian sense of a small personality who puffs himself up to look big through bluster and swagger but remains a scheming coward inside--and next to a genuinely big man like Kerry, shrunk before the camera's eyes.

I'm no fan of John Kerry, either, but his failings in my eyes are not fundamental character issues that I see in George W. Bush. I still haven't decided who I am going to vote for (or rather, vote against, which is what I am doing yet again), but if my viewing of the debate when it is rebroadcast here gives me the same "read" on body language, I will have a tough time not voting against President Bush.

Link from Joe Gandelman, at The Moderate Voice.