Don't wanna argue, I don't wanna debate

[vovat]

So, as I said in my last post, I watched Friday's presidential debates. I think pretty much everyone expected Bush to come off as an idiot, and he did not disappoint. (Well, I guess he disappointed if you were hoping he would wise up all of a sudden, but no such luck.) I could talk about how he didn't answer questions and kept repeating himself, but the main thing that struck me was how he insisted that a good leader could never change his mind. This really strikes me as exemplifying the typical conservative position, i.e., stick to your guns even if you're proven wrong repeatedly. I guess the corollary of that, at least for Bush himself, is that, when you finally realize you're wrong, you keep the same position but change the reasoning for it. You know, like how there were no weapons of mass destruction or links to Al Qaeda in Iraq, but the war was still good, because we're better off without Saddam. Never mind that that isn't the reason the Bush administration gave for going to war in the first place. The scary thing is that I think this philosophy is fairly common. I mean, hey, no one wants to be wrong. I'm sure I've occasionally argued a position I knew I ultimately couldn't support. But do we really want a president who puts people's lives on the line for such a position, and thinks changing your mind is just about the worst sin a person can commit? (Never mind that, for all his baseless "flip-flopping" attacks on Kerry, Bush seemed to change his mind WITHIN THE DEBATE on some issues, like when he asked Kerry how he was going to pay for something without raising taxes, and then talked about how he planned to spend more money on something else. I don't remember the exact details, but hey, what's a hardcore conservative if not a hypocrite?)

Another thing that struck me was Bush's comment about he refused to let the United States join the International Criminal Court. Now, I don't know all the details about the court (maybe I should look it up next time I go to work), so I can't really tell you where I stand on Bush's decision. The rationale he presented at the debate, however, showed an obnoxiously nationalistic stance. He seemed to be saying that we shouldn't have to be subject to the rules of those stupid foreign countries, because America is always right. Those weren't the exact words he used, of course, but that was the impression he gave. Along those lines, I did like that Kerry put a good deal of emphasis on forging alliances, instead of going at our counter-terrorism efforts unilaterally. I guess it's possible that other countries won't WANT to become our allies, even with a new administration in charge, but I do think it's important to try. I don't think Bush considers the possibility that, if other countries (aside from the United Kingdom, since I think Tony Blair would support America in just about anything) think something is a bad idea, maybe it really is. He really buys into the "might makes right" philosophy, and I'm not so fond of that.

I guess the thing with Kerry is that, while he doesn't really go as far as I'd like on certain issues, I think his moderate approach will at least get the country back on the right track. Besides, maybe it's the way to deal with certain issues facing us today. For instance, while my gut feeling is that I want the American troops out of Iraq right now, I see why that might not be the best solution at this point.


And just a few more things before I post this entry:

1. As I said in my last post, I got the two new Fuzzy Warbles discs, but still no news about the digital download. I guess I'll try e-mailing Ape again, and hope they reply this time. The thing is, while I want the download, I'm not sure I'm willing to go beyond e-mail to ask about it, since that would presumably require paying the cost of postage or a phone call to England.

2. AT&T STILL hasn't sent my label to mail back the extra phone. I guess I should try calling them again, and ask if I can just drop it off at a store or something. I might wait a few more days, though. I really don't want to have to talk to them again, but I also don't want them to start charging me for this phone I didn't want and haven't even taken out of the box.

3. I need a haircut.

4. I'm still having that same problem with Hotmail reversing my messages.