Bush vs. Kerry on cable news

Howie Kurtz says Bush is trouncing Kerry on cable news, according to some study or other. But I'm not mad. Nope. As far as I'm concerned get him out in front of the cameras and the reporters as much as you want and let him hang. Of all the serious face time the President has had in the last two months, I would say nearly 50-60% of it has been negative. Whatever the White House thinks they accomplished in the recent hour plus press conference, they're wrong. All they did was serve up grist for late night talk shows and more ammunition for left wing critics. Ditto for the Meet the Press appearance six weeks ago.

Bush looking stupid on TV allows the Kerry campaign to set Kerry in similar live television surroundings and contrast his brains and ability to speak the English language with Bush's incoherent, almost rambling babble and complete lack of intellectual curiosity on the issue at hand.

For all the criticism of being aloof and having trouble connecting with voters that Kerry gets from the media, I'm convinced he comes across as authentic (far more than Gore ever did, a figure the media loves to compare Kerry to) and more presidential than the president himself.

Even if Kerry is getting a fraction of the television face time Bush gets now, that will no doubt change as the campaign heats up after the party conventions. Until then, Kerry will reap the benefits of contrasting his live television demeanor with a failed President's.