Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader just finished watching the first debate between the President and Senator Kerry. And what does your Maximum Leader have to say about it?

Both candidates benefited from the soft bigotry of low expectations.

Both men benefited from lowering the expectations of debate viewers. As a result, all either man had to do was hold his own. And both candidates played it safe.

No memorable lines were uttered. No knock-out punches delivered. Hell, no knock-down punches delivered.

Kerry has to win a debate without question to move ahead… Of course, most media outlets will spin Kerry’s performance as a clear-cut win. It really wasn’t.

Senator Kerry was very smooth in his presentation. Kudos to his prep staff.

The President seemed off his rythmn early on, but seemed to grow more comfortable in the later part of the debate.

In the end, your Maximum Leader thinks this debate a draw.

Neither man said anything new or stated anything that your Maximum Leader didn’t expect to hear. Neither man, in your Maximum Leader’s opinion, was aggressive enough.

Your Maximum Leader would have prefered that the President draw on Senator Kerry’s long-standing opposition to weapons programs throughout his Senate career. The President should have mentioned more about Senator Kerry’s support of cutting the intelligence budget in the 1990s. Your Maximum Leader would have really liked to hear that Senator Kerry’s work for nuclear proliferation started by his voting for a unilateral nuclear freeze in the 1980s (as well as supporting the idea earlier). Your Maximum Leader would have challenged Kerry on the whole increasing the size of the military thing… Hey John, you’re in the US Senate - you could sponsor some legislation once and a while. How ’bout some legislation to add two divisions to the military?

Your Maximum Leader supposes that there must be polling data out there that told both campaigns to keep it as civil as possible.

Ah well. There is always the next debate.

Carry on.

UPDATE: Your Maximum Leader agrees with BRD at Anticipatory Retaliation on many points. Your Maximum Leader believes non-proliferation spending is up, but would have to check. And on the whole cleanng up fissionable materials in Russia… It is RUSSSIA! Another friggin country! If the Russians don’t want to move faster is Kerry going to invade them to get the material cleaned up in four years?

UPDATE II: Your Maximum Leader isn’t sure that just being sure and confident is enough to give the President the win. Sorry Steve.

UPDATE III: Nicole just said nipple… Heh heh heh. Actually, your Maximum Leader thought he heard the same thing… He has the scotch to blame… What’s Nicole’s excuse? Oh… She’s drinking too.

UPDATE IV: Did your Maximum Leader mention he was blogging naked? Yup… He is… Sadie watch out! Your Maximum Leader might give up on that omission of kindness stuff.

UPDATE V: Woo hoo! Your Maximum Leader got some linky-love from the Creator of Worlds! Gotta love that guy…

UPDATE VI: Final update… Your Maximum Leader is tired and a little tipsy. (And still naked…) Pauvre Rusty. Your Maximum Leader actually is sorry for him. But you know… He was on MSNBC, and that’s gotta be worth something. Right?