Happy Halloween 2004!

My Halloween rocked! I started the day by getting my Astrology Chart done and a tarot reading. Relationships: Apparently, the planets are not going to help alleviate my dating drought. I am naturally drawn to charismatic and intelligent men and want intense relationships but have a hard time because these guys are too heady. Not to mention I need to have control over my emotions and make it difficult for people to get close to me unless I sense I can feel secure and I trust the person. Plus, I usually make the decision the end a relationship with someone--whether I do the breaking up or create a situation to force him to do it. I was advised to think about seeking out more nurturing men. In New York? Yeah, right. It was interesting and right on for me. Weird.

As is my annual Halloween tradition, I carved out a jack-o'-lantern tonight. I was out in Bronxville at Shenan and Alex's and we had three carving pumpkins so I thought up an idea, chopped him up and propped it out on their stoop ledge. I'm mighty proud on myself--no stencils baby! Isn't he precious? I deem him "Boo-zer." I also passed out candy to trick-or-treaters (something you don't see in Manhattan) and was impressed when one precocious young lady impressed me with her gorilla costume. I asked what the difference was between a monkey and a gorilla. She said she didn't have a tail. Then I stayed up to catch up with Shenan, Alex, and Maura and we played Cranium. Maura and I won! We rocked the performance category! Thanks for being able to whistle Maura and for reading US Weekly. Some memorable exchanges:

Shenan gets a Humdinger category where you have to hum or whistle the song to your teammate

Shenan: I don't know this song.
Alice: Good luck!

Alice flips the 1 minute timer

...

Alice gets a Humdinger category where you have to hum or whistle the song to your teammate

Alice: I don't know this song. Can I hum a different one by the same group?
Shenan: Good luck!

Shenan flips the 1 minute timer

...

Alex and I get a Club Cranium Cameo card where we must act like the famous person or character on the card and the first team to guess correctly wins. The person is Julia Roberts. We both say we're ready and just as Alex is about the get his idea started...

Alice: I'm pregnant with twins and in the hospital!
Maura: JULIA ROBERTS!
Shenan: Do you guys share the same US Weekly when it comes out?

...

Alex and Maura must act out the condition on the performing card like charades for this Club Cranium. They both begin. Alex is walking like a crack smoking zombie and swirling his hands with index fingers extended around his head, then proceeds to milk an imaginary udder on himself while squatting and then collapsing on the ground. Maura is eating an imaginary burger and then using a pointed index finger, moving from her mouth to her stomach and then doing the same swirly crazy hand finger things. Shenan and I are shouting out "CRAZY" and "CRAZY MILKING COW!"

Alice: MAD COW DISEASE!
Maura: Yes!

Alex is still milking his udder in a very animated manner.

Alice: Alex, what's with the milking yourself?

Happy Halloween!

Subway Hygiene

People in New York are fascinating creatures who live in their own private universe when in public. Personal space is a subjective idea that, on the subway, depends on how crowded your area is. In the evening rush hour, it is not unusual to have someone's hand smushed against your thigh which in any other setting would permit you to smack the person is quite normal and acceptable as long as the hand does not move. This is the most common violation of personal space on the transit system; frotteurs aside. But on this particular morning, on my way to work, I sat next to a woman who created her own personal space which pretty much violated everyone else's.

Certain hygenic activities should only be reserved for private time like extracting blackheads. No one wants to see you squeezing the crap out of your face. On the New York Subway, however, there is no such thing as private time. Riding the subway in New york is like driving your car in LA in that it's as appropriate a place to apply your mascara as your master bathroom at home. It's not unusual to see a woman attempt to line her eyes on the bumpy subway, but on this particularly drab morning, an older Asian woman sitting to my left determined it was appropriate to clip her fingernails. She was very intent on doing this, paying no mind to where the clipping flew or if they impaled someone in the eye. She did this from 86th Street to 68th Street. When she was done, she swatted the clippings on her clothing to the floor and put the nail clipper away. She straightened herself out and sat back with her arms out and crossed at the wrists in front of her. Then, as the doors closed at 68th Street, she felt it was time to let out the two most delectable belches I have ever heard: ah, the dulcet sound of gas escaping from one's esophageal tract! By 59th Street, as I'm trying to keep focused on my Bryson book, it seemed quiet, like her morning ritual had been completed. Ah, but I was in for more treats: she ruffled into her left sweater pocket to procure a wad of tissues and blow her nose like a foghorn. When her sinuses were thoroughly drained, she returned the tissues to her pocket and resumed her calm sitting state. That's when we hit 51st Street and I had to get off the train.

Hygiene seems like such an important thing, but now I know why they invented anti-bacterial hand lotion: it is for New Yorkers who ride the subway. Her antics were far from some of the more horrifying stories I've heard (a guy taking a dump on a seat on the uptown 6 train), but it makes you think twice before you grab a seat or hold the poles. I've learned to subway surf on the days I feel OCD-ish or when I can't find a spot to grab onto. It's good for the thighs which some guy will want to put his hand on during rush hour. Skeevy: it's what's for the subway, hygiene and all.

Stanford 5 Year Reunion: Day 2 Observations

I skipped out on the homecoming events to spend the day in San Francisco with Susan and Mimi looking for boots (failure) and having tea in Union Square (delightful). I also bought a lovely red lion neck pillow filled with aromatic jasmine tea at the Big Pagoda Company at 310 Sutter Street. Susan and I perused the shop and fell in love with Australian potter, David William's crystalline glaze ceramics. I am tempted to order one of these precious vases online to add to my bric-a-brac once I get my tv room shelved. Susan's also pushing me to paint my own canvases as opposed to buying any paintings I've seen in the store.

After spending an inordinate amount of time getting ready and packed for our official class party (mostly on uncooperative hair), we arrived at 10pm to a full Roble Gym. It was almost chronological in terms of who I met as I advanced towards the gym. A slew of people from my freshman dorm gathered in the vestibule area as we checked in. We were all the same but different. It was lovely to see Justin and Toli. As I entered the courtyard with Susan, my sophomore dorm friends were in a huddle led by Jeff and his beau, Thom. Susan thought it was funny that we were going year by year for me. I didn't bond well with my many of my sophomore dormmates; I think they found me obnoxious and forward. I'm sure they still do. Then, into Roble Gym where my Oxford friends were next (junior year baby!) and we said our hellos again and wandered about. I was then adbucted by my junior year 557 Mayfield random dorm assigned friend, John, to the bar in the courtyard where we remembered our lovely roommates (Tex and Monya) and how we got such well, random people for roommates. That's when I bumped into my senior year BOB dormmates and friend extensions--Mike who is in law school and Mark, my fellow not-apart-of-the-continental-United-States Alaskan. That's pretty much where it ended and I had one too many drinks and had to retire. A former beau and now good friend was gracious enough to attend to me until Susan, bless her heart, stumbled upon me, fearing I'd been abducted by some sketchy reunion boy. (No such luck.)

I felt mostly numb on Saturday. Excited to see so many people. Funny enough, most of the people I spent time talking to were boys. I'm not sure exactly how that happened. I didn't do it on purpose, but I always had an easier time hanging with the guys than bitching with the girls. Only a few gals were special enough to remain friends with and girls are really evil sometimes. I don't believe in sorority: never will. But as I was saying, mostly numb. In some ways it was anti-climactic. You expect the socially inept to grow up and change, but they don't. The insecure are as insecure as ever. It was the outlandish assholes who discovered what jerks they were and made a concerted effort to be nice. I liked those people. And the always cool and chill, still cool and chill. What I wonder is what people thought of me after five years? I suspect they couldn't let go of their prior opinions of me and tried to somehow translate that to me now--like I'd never changed. I only imagine this after seeing a group of girls huddled and whispering as I talked to my former beau. Don't worry ladies; I'm not trying to get back with him. Calm yourselves. But I think that's what reunions are like--bringing past opinions to the future. I think it's good because it reminds you about many of the wonderful, youthful qualities you possessed as a young student, but negative because it's as if you'll never grow out of it in these peoples' eyes. My mother is the only person I allow to freeze frame me as a six year old; everyone else must move on.

I had a great rehash with Rishi on the flight back to NYC Sunday (our flight got horribly delayed so it was nice that we bumped into each other early enough to hang out and watch The Office). We agreed, most people reverted back to type and it was amusing. I suppose that's what reunions are meant for--reliving who you were and ignoring the years that have since passed. I don't want to have another "what are you doing now?" conversation for a few months. It's too much work to repeat the same boring thing, over and over, verbatim. I nearly responded to some inquiries with "I work for Extreme Makeover. Want to be on the show?" Ah, reunions. I'm glad I got to reconnect with some people, like Rishi who now resides in NYC and reminded me that I'm too good for most of the men I'm dating and that there is an overabundance of career success and friendship in my life. And as much I think there aren't enough great guys to go around, there exists a great abundance of people in the world for relationships and I deserve better than what I've allowed myself to have--I'm working on not thinking that this is the best I can get when it doesn't make me happy. And, yes, I am imagining opening the door and inviting these less-than-worthy men to leave. Buh-bye. (Thanks Rish!)

The one missing piece, was Jano. As I was boarding my flight to JFK at gate 89, the flight at gate 90 was heading to San Diego and I leaned to Rishi and said, "Screw NYC, let's go to San Diego!" So Jano, while I may be in New York, suffering in the 50° weather, I'm there with you in spirit now, in body in January. Here's to our own private reunion!

Stanford 5 Year Reunion: Day One Observations

I'm in San Francisco now for my Stanford 5 Year Reunion. I got here Thursday and had my first full day Friday. My trepidation about coming back to see classmates and friends and acquaintances fell away to reveal more amusement. I wanted to go back to Stanford and hear people tell me how excited they were about the things they were doing and what they've been up to and what they plan on doing the next 5 years. With the welcome exception of a handful of enthusiastic classmates, I found some people have resigned themselves to the former college social constructs of one of the following: (1) one-upmanship, (2) decidedly bored, (3) domestic subjugation, (4) pharmaceutically-enhanced apathy. It left me feeling sad to see so many classmates who wanted to achieve so much 5 years ago demonstrate such zombie-like surrender to what their lives had become, as if they had no choice in where they were going because whatever choices they made to get them where they are today seemed like "the next logical step in life" as opposed to the next exciting challenge and opportunity. I anticipate tonight's grand event to be more of the like, though I desperately want to re-meet people who aren't on beta-blockers now. Is it too much to ask people to be mildly interested in what they are doing, and to talk about the less mundane aspects of their daily lives?

Reading: Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson

Jude's NOT engaged!

New York Magazine's cover story on Jude Law reports, from Jude's own lips, that he is not engaged... "unfortunately," he says. Why do I feel compelled to keep track of something like this? It's a wonderful article, Jude's dashing good looks aside, and a lovely portrait of Jude in comparison to his much awaited character Alfie which is a polar opposite to Michael Caine's original jerk-about-town. Alfie 2004 is more Carrie Bradshaw than ruthless cad who tells you, quite bluntly, you're just there for a shag and some housework. You can read about the New York premiere here which occurred last night. The leading ladies of Alfie confirm, yes, even hot Hollywood actresses have dated jerky Alfie types. Is it too much to ask for a good man in an Alfie package? Probably like asking Osama Bin Laden to turn himself in and repent his sins at which point he'll surreptitiously become a Born Again Christian...

In the cold, together or alone

Fall is the season when many singles start hunting for someone to cozy up with for the holidays. It's that grand desire to come in from the cold weather and have a lovely somebody ready to cuddle up with while sipping marshmallow inundated hot chocolate, reading a good book or perhaps watching a DVD. That's what many of my friends have led me to believe. However, as much as I tell myself, it is not necessary to come home to another handsome, warm body, I can't help but lie in bed at night with my comforter piled on a blanket providing a protective covering on my bedsheet from the cold at night, eyes wide, thinking this is better accomplished by having another person with 98.6° body temprature next to me than feeling like a tree was felled on me. But is there something innate in us that drives us to seek out relationships in the fall and winter; something biological or cultural?

The cold season naturally makes us want to stay indoors, to stay warm and with this season, avoid catching influenza. As such, I find that being with someone special to do that with accomplishes several important items: you are guaranteed to be warm, indoors, and the company of another person has been shown to increase one's mood and immune system, thus fending off cold bugs. Biologically, starting a fall romance is sensical. Being in a relationship does wonders for one's health--provided that special someone doesn't beat you with bamboo. So what's so difficult? As the 8 million or so culturally-enhanced New Yorkers will tell you, the problem lies in finding a *special* someone. Hell, you can find any able bodied person in a bar, a grocery store, or prison, but that *special* someone you're willing to suffer those cold nights with repeatedly, that's a tall order.

One of my friends who is notoriously commitment-phobic but wants a commitment (I can't explain the dichotomy), said to me that it's cold and he's feeling "relationshippy," but he hasn't found anyone worthy of making a commitment. His friend recently broke up with a girlfriend and is finding the single life hard to deal with; mopey guy just hasn't gotten back into the single swinging lifestyle yet. Both of them suffer from the "so many hot women; none that ring my bell" syndrome--they can have their pick for a one-night-stand or short term love affair, but wanting a woman to stick around, that's like asking a man to surrender his reproductive organs. I guess it is exactly like that; afterall, there's no more play time or picking up hot girls, or kissing random women, or meeting a woman who fits your fancy and giving her a good shag. For some young strapping twentysomething guy, that's asking a great deal. Hell, most thirtysomethings are like that as well. But I suspect, this fall weather it making something churn in my friends.

The fall is the beginning of the holiday season when togetherness is the main theme. Halloween is for group parties and trick-or-treating, Thanksgiving is family and friends time, Christmas is self-explanatory, then comes New Year's when you are supposed to have someone incredible to kiss and properly welcome the new year AND if all goes well with that, that person will stick around for a wildly shagadelic Valentine's Day followed by wild partying for St. Patrick's Day. Huh... I guess that John Mayer song is right. It's best to start a relationship in the cold and if it's gonna end, wait until St. Patty's Day to break up.

But is that really all there is to the fall-relationship hunger? There must be something more?! More than wanting not to be that one person on the street not bundled up with someone else or ice-skating with someone holding your hand? In the season of togetherness, I think wanting to not be alone is the reason. That's when it is time to seek comfort in existential philosophy and realize we're all basically alone: no one can know you and you can't know anyone else. And we're all going to die someday; yes, all alone. I'm sure that's not very comforting, but neither is death's kiss which, guess what, is very cold and you will spend eternity in, yes, the COLD. Well, I supposed that's a better motivation for someone to want to couple up in the fall. If you're going to be in death's cold hands for eternity, a few months with a special someone during the coldest months is enough to make you feel alive and death by influenza will have to hold off for at least one more year.

Bush supporters: Religious Fanatics on the Campaign Trail

Last night was the final presidential debate. Shenan and Alex were kind enough to TiVo it so I could watch with them after my class. Kerry did a great job debating, once again, in that he was prepared with statistics and factoids, he was calm and collected, and he stayed focused. Bush, I felt, did a much better job in this debate than in the first debate. He came back with numbers as well, something his first debate was completely devoid, and stayed calm and collected for the most part. Bush improved which made this debate much closer in terms of winner and loser, though Kerry still has a slight edge. It'll be a close race in 2 weeks time.

Didn't that sound like a pretty well thought out analysis of what I thought of the debate? Well, when C-SPAN finishes it's broadcast of the debate, it takes phone calls from viewers about their thoughts on the debate. This has led me to believe that the only viewers of C-SPAN who want to voice an opinion are religious zealot supporters of George W. Bush. I thought I'd fallen into the Spanish Inquisition and if I didn't condemn my heretic ways, I'd be flambéd over an open bonfire. Many callers, in typical fundamentalist Christian fashion, professed Bush the winner because he accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior. It's as if they ignored him saying that it is okay for people to not believe in God and that is what is so great about our country--you can believe or not believe in whatever you choose! But no, no, no! Bush is a God-fearing man who takes his religion to heart and prays and that's why we should vote for him for President of the United States: he'll crush the terrorist-heretics! Crazies.

I didn't watch long enough to hear anyone make a comment on the homosexuality question which I felt was one of the tougher questions that allowed the candidates to either be political or honest. Kerry won this but not just because I agree with what he says ("I think if you talk to anybody, it's not choice."). A study came out yesterday linking male homosexuality to genetics. Bush stayed very political on this question, not wanting to touch what his opinion of it is.

As far as other controversial issues, Roe v. Wade came up and Kerry once again made his view clear that he believes people should have a choice, in this case, a woman has a choice with what she wants to do with her body in regards to terminating a pregnancy ("I believe that choice is a woman's choice. It's between a woman, God and her doctor. And that's why I support that."). I bet the fiery Christian fundamentalists were just alight with the fury of the heavens! Hee hee! These are the same folks who don't want to acknowledge premarital sex as something that's going to happen (abstinence is a nice idea, but let's get real) and the need for sex education in our schools with regards to safe sex for pregnancy and disease prevention.

With all these issues which have plagued our society since as far back as I can remember (with the exception of stem-cell research which can be lumped with the abortion issue for those Republicans), Bush's staunchest supporters, the religious right, are stomping on the campaign trail for him in those lovely states like Texas. It's a wonderful demonstration of how one common belief can bond an entire group. And one powerful member in that group (Bush) can affect the beliefs of the other members with his own opinions. If he came out against Pepsi Cola, I'm sure those fundamentalists would all drink Coke tomorrow. And this large group of voters will vote by their religious beliefs. It's frightening how people are willing to forgo forming their own opinion and just follow one dude.

The One, dude, wants to spread freedom by bringing it to the oppressed heretics in the Middle East. It's as if history has taught him nothing. This Yale graduate (mediocre student extraordinaire) was too busy with his secret society to study history. Forcing an idea on a group, whether it be freedom, religion, diet, is not going to work because either those people will always have to be forced to accept that idea or may decide to revert back to an the old idea, perhaps by the force of their own hand--ah civil war! But Bush won't worry himself with that, and the easily influenced religious right will accept what he says as truth. Like they accept what their pastor tells them during the sermon every Sunday at church, Bush is the ultimate pastor to them, spreading Jesus's good words and putting the fear of God in men. "Amen!" they'll shout from the highest steeple and the dark lord of the Sith will return for four more years to expand his Empire's control...

Someone else got a date with John Mayer!

Okay, okay, so I have put it upon my many friends to orchestrate a coffee date with John Mayer--Christ almighty, is that so hard?!?! I haven't even told you my proposal involving dinner with Jude Law. I digress.... Three of my friends went to Fairfield High with him in Connecticut (including one lovely woman who had a crush on him but was too shy to ask him out herself) and a bunch of my friends work in the music industry. There's only so much stalking I can do myself! What with work, class, watching movies, feeding my cat, memorizing monologues, programming web sites, I barely have time for food let alone stalking! So, I'm at work today, passing by a co-worker's office when I hear John Mayer's name being dropped in a story. I stop back later to ask her what was with this whole "John Mayer" thing. Apparently, the rumor goes, her friend met him on a flight back to New York recently and had a date with him last night. Oh, excellent!

Weekend Recap

Friday: Colin Hay (of Men at Work fame) played a packed Canal Room and regaled the audience with his interesting anecdotes. His wife was a laugh-riot. Many young chicks there only knew him from his one song on the Garden State Soundtrack and maybe the Men At Work staples. Dinner at Lucky Strike--think I got food poisoning from the sea bass. Late night presidential debate re-run: Bush is so loud and angry!

Saturday: Got my Stanford 5 Year Reunion Class Guide to what the other folks of '99 are up to. Realized most of these folks, their most honored achievement is marriage--somehow that doesn't really seem like an achievement so much as a desire to fit in and belong. Discovered that, yes, (most of) my ex's live in Texas--explains why I have great aversion to living there. The most interesting people are still traveling and doing fascinating things like starting non-profit organizations in Africa or inventing some crazy nuclear fission machine to get rid of green house gases... something like that. Saw Team America at Battery Park Cinemas: laugh your ass off funny--no political group or entertainment industry big-wig is safe from this flick. You go Matt and Trey! Lovely walk back through Tribeca to Greenwich Village. Need to explore Tribeca more. Dinner at Lupa. Was introduced to Aussie sitcom called "The Secret Life of Us" which, for the pilot episode, wa'n't too bad.

Sunday: Went with Esther to see Last Easter by acclaimed playwright who is accused of plagiarizing her TONY winning play, Frozen. Excellent show: Jeffrey Carlson was the highlight (he tells those oldie but goodie jokes we remember as kids--priceless!). There were some blocking issues Esther and I had with the show, but they don't pay us for our opinions on why June never ventured stage left until the end. It was lop-sided in that way. Dinner at Corner Bistro where a pair of lesbians, I think, mistook me and Esther for a "couple" though I think eventually got it that we weren't. That was followed by coffee at a coffee shop next door on Jane Street where I saw a 3 month old black French Bulldog while I read the New York Sunday Times (Jacques Derrida--the father of deconstructionist theory--has passed away!). Need to explore the West Village area more. Walked half way home from Jane and Greenwich Avenue--it was chilly but beautiful outside.

Watch It! Team America: World Police with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, Rated R for "graphic, crude and sexual humor, violent images and strong language, all involving puppets."

And now, a moment of silence

Jude Law is engaged to Sienna Miller. As reported by SkyNews, no date has been set. One less fish in the sea. Sigh... Congratulations to the happy couple. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program: single hapa girl in the city.


Watch It: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow with Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Giovanni Ribisi, Bai Ling, Michael Gambon

Presidential Debate: Part I

Bush quotes:

And, you know, I think about Missy Johnson, fantastic young lady I met in Charlotte, N.C., she and her son, Brian. They came to see me. Her husband, P.J., got killed-been in Afghanistan, went to Iraq. You know, it's hard work to try to love her as best as I can knowing full well that the decision I made caused her, her loved one to be in harm's way.

MR. LEHRER: New question, Mr. President. Two minutes. You have said there was a, quote, "miscalculation" of what the conditions would be in post-war Iraq. What was the miscalculation? And how did it happen?

PRESIDENT BUSH: No, what I said was that, because we achieved such a rapid victory, more of the Saddam loyalists were around. In other words, we thought we'd whip more of them going in. But because Tommy Franks did such a great job in planning the operations, we moved rapidly. And a lot of the Ba'athists and Saddam loyalists laid down their arms and disappeared.I thought we would -- they would stay and fight. But they didn't. And now we're fighting them now.

Of course I know Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that.

I've got a good relation with Vladimir [Putin], and it's important that we do have a good relation because that enables me to better comment to him and to better -- to discuss with him some of the decisions he makes. I found that -- in this world that it's important to establish good personal relationships with people so that when you have disagreements you're able to disagree in a way that is effective.

Oh, I'm a pretty calm guy. I mean --

Kerry quotes:

What I think troubles a lot of people in our country is that the president has just sort of described one kind of mistake, but what he has said is that even knowing there were no weapons of mass destruction, even knowing there was no imminent threat, even knowing there was no connection of al Qaeda, he would still have done everything the same way. Those are his words.

It's one thing to be certain, but you can be certain and be wrong. It's another to be certain and be right, or to be certain and be moving in the right direction, or be certain about a principle and then learn new facts and take those new facts and put them to use in order to change and get your policy right. What I worry about with the president is that he's not acknowledging what's on the ground, that he's not acknowledging the realities in North Korea, he's not acknowledging the truth of the science of stem-cell research or of global warming and other issues. And certainty sometimes can get you in trouble.

The most humorous exchange of words in the debate:

SEN. KERRY: Well, first of all, I appreciate enormously the personal comments the president just made, and I share them with him. I think only if you've -- if you're doing this, and he's done it more than I have in terms of the presidency, can you begin to get a sense of what it means to your families, and it's tough. And so I acknowledge the -- his daughters. I've watched them. I've chuckled a few times at some of their comments.

PRESIDENT BUSH: (Laughs.)

SEN. KERRY: And --

PRESIDENT BUSH: I'm trying to put a leash on them. (Laughs, laughter.)

SEN. KERRY: Well, I don't know. I've learned not to do that, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT BUSH: That's right. (Laughs, laughter.)

Now this former forensic enthusiast gives immense credit to Senator John Kerry for his articulation and calm demeanor. He presented himself as a well-informed candidate who has looked at the issues and has a plan for his presidency. He made many great points in relation to Bush's reasons for going to war and his inability to take the educated advice of his own administration. His delivery of his points was winning in terms of the debate and his factual support for his opinions. He made great points about North Korea and proved he had some experience in foreign relations in regards to his visit to the Kremlin after the attack in Beslan. He did an excellent job in defending his voting record in the Senate and why he changed his mind in regards to several issues regarding Iraq and the war on terror, but while he disagrees that war was the only option, he realizes that now that American troops are in Iraq and it is a mess, we need to stay and get it done, have a plan. He also displayed his excellent knowledge of how wars and uncertainty in a country can be a hot bed for civil war if the Iraqi people are not properly trained to take responsibility for the future of their country. If the lack of basic human needs continues, civil war will erupt. Assuming the people are healthy enough since there isn't any clean water and hepatitis is a serious problem in Iraq.

Now President George Bush is not the most articulate man and, contrary to him saying he's a pretty "calm guy," he got riled up and you could see it all over his face. He did make many good points which you could only extract if you read the transcript of the debate. Mainly, he did a good job of sticking to his message of steadfastness and the fact the he and Kerry both saw the same intelligence in regards to Iraq and had the same opinion of Iraq posing a threat to the safety of the world. He made it a point that his job was to protect the American people, something he stuck to the entire way through the debate: as President, it is his job to keep the American people safe. Why so important? Because a majority of people in America are afraid of another 9/11 (even those folks who don't live in any of the major city targets like NYC) and he's using that fear as a trump card. He also makes a point that many southern Bible-Belters love: American doesn't answer to anyone, doesn't need anyone's permission or need to succumb to any other foreign power's pressure to protect itself.

One issue I thought Kerry won hands down was over Darfur. Kerry made a point that giving only humanitarian aid to the people in Sudan isn't enough to quell the unrest and genocide. That diplomacy is necessary along with the cooperation of the African Union. Bush tried to defend himself by saying that America has assisted with Darfur--but again, only humanitarian aid. Bush fails to recognize that all the humanitarian aid being given to the people in Darfur rarely reaches those who need it most. The Sudanese government denied inernational humanitarian aid groups access to those displaced persons through January 2004. It is still questionable how much aid actually reaches those displaced people. With rampant infectios diseases as well as a polio outbreak and the genocide and raping, it is questionable how well the Bush administration has addressed the issues in Darfur.

It was an excellent debate about foreign policy and homeland security, and I can safely say, Kerry won. Bush needs a better outward demeanor and face when he debates--he'd do well to listen to his advisors. He may have been able to hold those Bible thumping voters who love his Bible quoting and sermonizing (he had those votes to start with) but for those voters on the fence, Kerry did a great job in bringing up important issues and even touching on the environment and foreign relations.

CNN / GALLUP POLL ON WHO WON DEBATE

Kerry: 53
Bush: 37

CBS POLL ON WHO WON DEBATE:

Kerry: 44
Bush: 26
Tie: 30

ABC POLL ON WHO WON DEBATE:

Kerry: 45
Bush: 36
Tie: 17

***Haha! As a sidenote, when I went to the George Bush Re-Election site, it was down. Obviously programmed in ASP.NET as the error page is one I am very familiar with. Maybe he should stop outsourcing his programmers and keep the tech jobs in America. Want a working presidential candidate campaign site, go to John Kerry's site.