|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
| THE SECOND DEBATE: ANALYSIS | |
 October 11, 2000  |
|
|
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and Wall Street Journal columnist Paul Gigot analyze the second presidential debate.
|
|
RAY SUAREZ: Now some final thoughts and back to syndicated
columnist Mark Shields and Wall Street Journal columnist Paul
Gigot. Paul, your final thoughts.
RAY SUAREZ: Mark Shields.
RAY SUAREZ: As opposed to a more humble nation.
RAY SUAREZ: Well, thank you gentlemen both. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
        |
|
| Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station. | ||
| ||
| PBS Online Privacy Policy Copyright ©1996- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved. | ||
| ||
PAUL
GIGOT: One of the things I think where Bush came out looking better
tonight was in that he looked more assertive, more forceful. And I think
that gave an appearance of conviction, even when he was on an area where
he didn't really -- he is not an expert like foreign policy -- at least
he sounded strong. He sounded like he was taking a forceful position
where I thought Vice President Gore sometimes sounded more like a legislator,
more equivocal. He sounded on both sides of the gun issue, sounded like
he was hedging himself on both of those things, on health care. It's
one my top priorities but I'm not for a big government plan, I'll be
very judicious. He never really sounded like a leader and sounded those
notes. I think he didn't help himself in that question of who will be
a better leader. The other thing was -- that struck me was Vice President
Gore went out of his way tonight to say I am for shrinking the size
of government and I'm for tax cuts. That strikes me as... what that
means to me is they know that last week Governor Bush scored some points
on this philosophical issue of who is for smaller or larger government
and he needed to cover himself some on that. And I think that's down
the road here an advantage for Governor Bush. 
MARK
SHIELDS: Back to the vision thing. I thought it was a seeing-eye dog
night as far as vision was concerned and I thought that quite bluntly
Al Gore was running for head of government -- his encyclopedic knowledge
of government -- and George Bush fell under the trap at the end. He
went into this litany of legislative initiatives at the very end, which
I did not think worked for him. But we are still looking for the leader
of the nation, waiting for a leader who will say I see America, and
this is how America will be different; this is how America will be better;
this is how America will be larger and grander and more humane and more
just. And I thought that was missing throughout the whole evening. 
MARK
SHIELDS: A more humble nation, which I thought was a "subliminable"
message about oil because it was Exxon, Esso and Humble, if you want
to go back. And he basically sees a humble nation. You set me up for
that, Ray, and I won't forgive you. But the other thing was, I thought
when Governor Bush shows a personalizing on criticism -- he came back
to, I have a good heart. You're attacking my heart. And I found that...
I think that could become an annoying characteristic over a sustained
period of time… I don't think another debate. But there is a certain
inclination, I think, on his part to do that. But I thought it was a
good night for him. 
