DEBATE: Bush goes MIA

The first two presidential debates went so very poorly for George W. Bush that it was no wonder that he wanted to get out of his third face-off with John Kerry as quickly and painlessly as possible. Indeed, one Bush aide admitted before Wednesday night's final debate in Tempe, Arizona, that the president's only goal was to "check the box" -- i.e., go through the motions of debating for an hour and a half without doing himself any damage. With that goal in mind, Bush did his best to sit out the last debate. The president avoided answering questions -- even when it made him look ridiculous.

• Asked about affirmative action, Bush affirmed that he had met with the Congressional Black Caucus.
• Asked about the minimum wage, Bush defended his "No Child Left Behind" education initiatives.
• Asked about the "backdoor draft" that has forced National Guard troops to go through repeated rotations in Iraq and prevented members of the military from returning home when their tours of duty were done, Bush launched into a discussion about whether Kerry would apply a "global test" before defending the United States.
• Asked whether gays and lesbians choose their sexuality, the president who has sponsored a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage said he did not know.
• Asked whether he would like to overturn the Roe-v-Wade ruling of the US Supreme Court, the most outspoken anti-abortion president in history simply dodged the question. Bush's "answer" was so obtuse that the first question television interviewers asked former White House aide Karen Hughes was to clarify Bush's stance on the issue. For the record, Hughes also dodged. [more ]
• When Mr. Schieffer asked what he would say to an American who had lost his job to an overseas worker, Mr. Bush replied, "I'd say, Bob, I've got policies to continue to grow our economy and create the jobs of the 21st century. And here's some help for you to go get an education." [more ]