Debate Questions I'd Like to Hear (9/27/04)

by Dean Hartwell

 

Soon the Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates will assemble to participate in televised debates.  In some elections past, debates have been a crucial factor in determining the winner.  It is crucial that the debate questioners ask the right questions of the candidates and that we focus upon their answers.  Here are my proposed questions of each candidate:

 

President Bush

• Why did you send troops to Iraq?
• What would you tell your grandchildren about why they must pay for your budget deficits?
• What is your overall purpose in cutting taxes and triggering budget deficits?
• How can you justify sending men and women to dangerous places when you got out of going to Viet Nam?
• How have you asked the public to sacrifice to make our nation a better place?
• Other than appoint some women to cabinet-level positions, how has your Administration helped women?
• Describe your campaign theme in three sentences.
• Given the media recounts which show Al Gore as the winner, do you really believe that you won the last election?

 

Senator Kerry

• If you had known there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, why would you still have voted to authorize the use of force for the President?
• Name three legislative accomplishments you are most proud of.
• How have you asked the public to sacrifice to make our nation a better place?
• What does your experience in Viet Nam have to do with serving as our president?
• Why do you want to be the president?
• Describe your campaign theme in three sentences.
• Why do you believe that leaders of other nations will agree to send troops to Iraq when they have already refused President Bush?
• If you didn’t question the intelligence provided to you about Iraq as a Senator, how can we expect you to question intelligence provided to you as President?

 

Vice-President Cheney

• How does meeting secretly with energy officials fit in line with the openness in government demanded by democracy?
• Do you still get money from Halliburton and if so, is it a conflict of interest given the government’s no-bid contracts with that company and its affiliates?
• What have you done to earn the reputation of the “most powerful Vice-President ever”?
• How can you justify approving the sending of men and women to dangerous places when you got out of going to Viet Nam?

 

Senator Edwards

• How can you serve on the same ticket as the man you once opposed in the primaries?
• Name one piece of legislation that you sponsored that became law.
• Do you have enough experience in government to take over as the president?
• Did you run for president to avoid a losing bid for re-election to the United States Senate?

 

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