Post-Debate Overheard

Now, I can't say that the "man-on-the-street" of Oakland is in any way a representative anecdote. But I did have an interesting conversation on Saturday morning with the proprietor of my local cafe about the debate. It's a safe assumption that everyone met in the Bay Area is left of where they'd be somewhere else, but I think he's a pretty moderate guy. To distill a great guy into nothing but his demographic - very Christian, small-business owner, outer-suburb dwelling, Cambodian immigrant. Anyhow, I asked him what he'd thought about the debate, and he claimed to have noticed that Bush kept "whining about how 'tough' being President is." He says he doesn't know who he'll settle on in the end, but it apparently had a much stronger impact on him than I would have thought. The constant protestations of what "hard work" the Presidency is clearly rubbed off of him more strongly than a glancing reference to any 'global test.'

Speaking of which, Will Saletan has a more reasoned response to Bush's disagreement with Kerry's "test" than my initial, intemperate response... Ugh... 'this President.'

I really do hate him, and no I don't take any pleasure in feeling that.