Idear?

I wonder how many votes — outside of New England — Kerry lost by pronouncing “idea” “idear.” I hope plenty. As Kerry’s closing statement indicates, he’s long on generalized promises (we can do better, we can lift ourselves up, koombayah, etc.), while his critique is so pessimistic. I think it smacks of insincerity. Overall he presents a picture of pessimism.

Planned or not, President Bush picks up on that theme in his closing, talking about his optimism and his vision. He promises to work on health care, and rally the armies of compassion, but most importantly he says leading in the war on terror requires resolve and firm leadership and he reaffirms his belief in the contageous benefits of freedom.

I really believe President Bush won this, though I was very nervous starting out. I truly think he got it on balance.