At Last, the Two Shall Meet.Face to Face, Chin to Smirk; All Summer, You Watched George W. Bush and John Kerry Snipe and Sneer at Each Other from a Distance. Now, See Them Do It Live, on the Same Stage! the Upcoming Presidential Debates Could Push Kerry over the Top-Or Seal the Deal for Bush. A NEWSWEEK Guide to Verbal Combat

Kosova, Weston, Newsweek

Byline: Text by Weston Kosova and Holly Bailey (Illustration by John Kascht)

KERRY: THE SUBSTANCE

He may have a reputation for being wooden and aloof, but Kerry is a formidable debater--he was named class orator at Yale--who has crushed opponents with his command of facts and his cool demeanor. To prepare for his encounters with Bush, he's been studying the president's winning debates against Al Gore in 2000. He's also staging mock debates against a stand-in Bush--played by Washington lawyer Greg Craig. Key issues to watch:

* Terrorism/National Security: This week's debate focuses on security concerns at home and abroad. Look for Kerry to hit Bush especially hard on Iraq. A favorite line: the president has "misled, miscalculated and mismanaged" the war and its aftermath. He'll also question Bush's handling of the war on terror, saying it hasn't made us safer. And he'll stress that, unlike Bush, he will win the trust and support of foreign allies and the United Nations. …

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Publication information: Article title: At Last, the Two Shall Meet.Face to Face, Chin to Smirk; All Summer, You Watched George W. Bush and John Kerry Snipe and Sneer at Each Other from a Distance. Now, See Them Do It Live, on the Same Stage! the Upcoming Presidential Debates Could Push Kerry over the Top-Or Seal the Deal for Bush. A NEWSWEEK Guide to Verbal Combat. Contributors: Kosova, Weston - Author. Magazine title: Newsweek. Publication date: October 4, 2004. Page number: 34. © 2009 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com. COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group.

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