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Senator John Kerry, left, and President George Bush shake hands prior to the start of the first presidential debate. (AP)
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09 October 2004
Health care, taxes also key issues
By Alexandra Abboud
Washington File Staff Writer
President George Bush and Senator John Kerry fielded questions from undecided voters and vigorously defended their stances on health care, the economy and the war in Iraq as they faced off in the second of three scheduled presidential election debates.
The debate, the only one of the three set up in a town hall meeting format, took place at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, October 8.
Bush defended his decision to go to war with Iraq, saying, "Saddam Hussein was a threat because he could have given weapons of mass destruction to terrorist enemies. Sanctions were not working. The United Nations was not effective at removing Saddam Hussein."
Kerry questioned Bush's decision to go to war. "[Saddam Hussein] didn't have weapons of mass destruction, Mr. President," he said. "And if we'd used smart diplomacy, we could have saved $200 billion and an invasion of Iraq, and right now Osama bin Laden might be in jail or dead. That's the war against terror."
Each candidate claimed that a report released October 6 by the Central Intelligence Agency on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq validated his own position.
The town hall forum allowed the candidates to walk around the stage and gesture -- a departure from their first, more formal September 30 debate in Coral Gables, Florida, in which they were required to remain behind a podium -- allowing for a more free-flowing and personal presentation by each.
While the first debate focused specifically on foreign policy, this second debate gave voters an opportunity to hear the candidates' positions on domestic issues that in many ways affect voters most directly, including health care and taxes.
The candidates sparred over one of the most crucial election issues -- the economy -- with President Bush and Senator Kerry defending their differing views on the issue.
"The president was handed a $5.6 trillion surplus...when he came into office," Kerry said. "We now have a $2.6 trillion deficit. This is the biggest turnaround in the history of the country."
Bush defended his economic policies, citing the recent recession and the cost of war. Speaking to Kerry, Bush said, "Like you, I'm concerned about the deficit. But I am not going to shortchange our troops in harm's way. And I'm not going to run up taxes, which will cost this economy jobs."
The issue of health care also played an important role in the debate, with one questioner inquiring about the importation of low-cost prescription drugs from Canada.
President Bush cautioned that the safety of prescription drugs coming into the United States must be carefully considered, and said the Food and Drug Administration and the Surgeon General are currently working to insure that such importation can be done safely. "I want to remind you that it wasn't just my administration that made the decision on safety. President Clinton did the same thing, because we have an obligation to protect you," he said.
In response, Senator Kerry said the administration blocked a bill to bring less expensive prescription drugs into the country. "We're not talking about Third World drugs. We're talking about drugs made right here in the United States of America that have American brand names on them in American bottles," he said.
Polls continue to show Bush and Kerry in a statistical dead heat as they begin preparation for their third and final debate on domestic issues October 13 in Tempe, Arizona.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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