Tom Toles for September 29, 2004
Transcript:
Man: President Bush's shoulders have declared the winner of the first debate. Thursday night's topic of foreign affairs provided reporters an excellent opportunity to assess the all-important body language dimension of the race. To a question about car bombings in Iraq, the President responded with a decisive outward-turning of the arms, while Kerry's hands rested on his podium, helplessly? In his rebuttal, Kerry scored points by having both eyes looking at the same thing simultaneously. But turning his head side-to-side brought to mind our preconception of you-know-what. And when the President said that the world was better off now that Osama Bin Laden was no longer dictator of Iraq, Kerry avoided the fatal sighing and eye-rolling, but let his jaw drop, though some analysts insist it's always that long. We now turn our attention to the domestic issues debate, where reporters will have an opportunity to discuss the candidate's one-liners, anecdotes and zingers. The media wins the 'lowered expectations' contest -