I’m looking forward to tonight’s debate in Miami. Although it’s not too hard to figure out who I support (Bush, if you’re still unclear), it will be great drama, with polls reporting that 90% of likely voters will be watching, with about 20% of those still undecided. If Kerry doesn’t win big in these debates, there could be a deflating of the get-out-the-vote movement for Kerry. If that happens, maybe the entire Move-On.org membership should be put on suicide watch!

What I will be looking for is the chance that JFK will change positions during the debate, maybe even watch him do a 360. Now that would be entertainment!

Kerry Set to Clarify Positions in Debate

BAL HARBOUR, Fla. (AP) – Calling President Bush “a very clever debater,” Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says their first appearance together Thursday night will give him the opportunity to be clear with people about where he stands on issues.

Kerry, accused by the Bush campaign of frequently changing his position on the war in Iraq, said in an interview that he can laugh at jokes about being long-winded. In a taped interview with “Good Morning America” on ABC, Kerry said, “I deserve that, sometimes, and look forward to the opportunity to, crystal clear, let people know where I stand.“

For him to so this will be quite a hat trick, in my opinion.

Education:

3300 – Iraqi schools renovated, or soon to be completed, since the overthrow of Saddam

(“What We’ve Accomplished,” Fox News Sunday, April 30, 2004)

9 Million – New math and science textbooks printed and distributed with pro-Saddam propaganda extracted

(“What We’ve Accomplished,” Fox News Sunday, April 30, 2004)

85% – Primary and secondary schools that have re-opened since the overthrow of Saddam

(“Free After 50 Years of Tyranny,” The Observer, October 5, 2003)

159,000 – Student desks distributed to Iraqi schools

(“Countdown to Sovereignty,” Coalition Provisional Authority)

81,735 – Teaching kits distributed to Iraqi primary school teachers

(“Countdown to Sovereignty,” Coalition Provisional Authority)

Human Rights:

71% – Proportion of Iraqis in a February 2004 survey that said they expected their lives to be even better in a year

(“National Survey of Iraq,” Oxford Research International, February 2004)

76,000 – New jobs created by the Iraqi National Employment Program

(“Countdown to Sovereignty,” Coalition Provisional Authority)

600 – New judges presently working in Iraqi Courts of Law

(“What We’ve Accomplished,” Fox News Sunday, April 30, 2004)

170 – Newspapers currently published in Iraq

(“Countdown to Sovereignty,” Coalition Provisional Authority)

33% – Percentage of Iraqis that receive worldwide information via satellite

(“What We’ve Accomplished,” Fox News Sunday, April 30, 2004)

70 – Mosques refurbished by coalition forces

(“Countdown to Sovereignty,” Coalition Provisional Authority)

Healthcare:

$1 Billion – Current budget for the Iraqi Ministry of Health; 25 times greater than the $16 million annual budget under Saddam’s reign

(“A Year After Liberation,” The Washington Post, April 9, 2004)

25% – Increase in immunization rates among Iraqi children

(“What We’ve Accomplished,” Fox News Sunday, April 30, 2004)

75 – Iraqi medical facilities refurbished by the Coalition Provisional Authority

(“Countdown to Sovereignty,” Coalition Provisional Authority)

700,000 – Pregnant Iraqi women received a tetanus toxoid vaccination to improve their pre-natal healthcare

(“Countdown to Sovereignty,” Coalition Provisional Authority)

Infrastructure:

500,000 – Average increase in the daily number of oil barrels produced

(“What We’ve Accomplished,” Fox News Sunday, April 30, 2004)

16 – Average number of hours of electricity for Iraqi citizens; a 40 percent increase from levels under Saddam

(“What We’ve Accomplished,” Fox News Sunday, April 30, 2004)

20 Million – Iraqis of the country’s 27 million citizens receive clean water due to new water and sanitation projects

(“Countdown to Sovereignty,” Coalition Provisional Authority)

1,005,580 – Iraqi telephone subscribers; a 20 percent increase from under Saddam

(“Countdown to Sovereignty,” Coalition Provisional Authority)

Government and Politics:

67 – Iraqi cities with fully functioning municipalities only four months after the beginning of the war

(“The Real Iraq,” The New York Post, July 17, 2003)

85% – Percentage of small Iraqi towns that had fully functioning municipalities only four months after the beginning of the war

(“The Real Iraq,” The New York Post, July 17, 2003)

81 – Iraqi women serve on neighborhood and district councils around Baghdad

(“U.S. Commitment to Women in Iraq,” Office of International Women’s Issues, May 24, 2004)

6 – Iraqi women appointed as Cabinet-level ministers in the newly-formed Iraqi Interim Government

(“The Interim Iraqi Government,” Coalition Provisional Authority, June 1, 2004)

It takes an inordinate effort today to stay even a little well informed. I shudder to think of all the votes that will be cast by those whose information resource is only “local” news, let alone just network TV news. It’s a lot of fun for many of us to read and argue about positions, polls & pundits and to take potshots at candidates, but the stakes for our civilization have rarely been so high as they are today, and treating this all as just sport is not taking it seriously enough. My 2 cents! . . . db

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