And with that Bin Laden blunder, Bush has gone 0 for 3 in these debates. I'm going to skip stuff I've seen other people hit, and then get to some real gut-level honesty about how I feel here.
Pell Grant Bait And Switch
Bis attitude towards Osama Bin Laden wasn't the only instance of a fuzzy memory. His statements on Pell Grants are similarly revealing. Bush seems to think he's expanded the grant system, and in a certain sense this is true. More students do access them than before, but Bush also cut funding from these core higher-ed grants.
But wait, you might say, this year he kicked in $33M. That's true, but what's also true is that previously he cut $270M, for a net cut of $237M. Music for America's own Mike Connery was on this back in January.
Talk about your bait and switch: Bush slashes $270 Million, then gives back $33 (probably because it's an election year), has more kids divvy up this diminished stash of aid, and goes off crowing about how he's "expanded" the Pell Grant program. Chant it with me now: "Bull-shit. Bull-shit. Bush-it..."
Bush on Health Care: Let Them Eat Cake
One of the most spectacularly unsatisfying moments in the debate was when Bush attacked Kerry's health care plan.
Read More