I checked my e-mail for the hundredth time Wednesday morning, and suddenly there it was: my invitation to the presidential debate.
After getting over the initial shock of being selected, I rushed to the designated meeting place. The other student lottery winners and I were bused to Gammage Auditorium, and after passing through three security barriers, flashing our IDs a dozen times and going through metal detectors, we were finally there ... three hours before the debate started.
Yet surprisingly, nobody was complaining. We all wore huge grins. We waited in the lobby: A mix of students from teenage freshmen to people in their 40's -- attires ranging from Birkenstocks and jeans to dressy suits and ties.
Security guards walked circles around the auditorium. Secret Service officers were ever-present, but I got the impression that they were actually glad to see us, likely because our demographic is so frequently underrepresented in the political atmosphere.
Finally, ASU volunteers ushered us into the auditorium. My seat in the seventh row of the balcony, located directly behind a giant speaker that obstructed my view of the president's podium, was amazing. I literally shivered with anticipation: the air was freezing (that's 70 degrees, in ASU speak).
The vibrant red, plush carpet and blue walls of the stage, the gigantic American flag graphics on both sides of it and the black boxes with the lights signaling how much time the candidates had left to speak made me realize that I was about to witness a significant historical event.
The audience began to arrive. I picked Teresa Heinz Kerry, her daughters, Laura Bush and the Bush twins out of the audience. Someone pointed out actor Michael J. Fox to me, and I realized I was the closest I'd ever been to a celebrity.
The lights dimmed, and the debate began. It was difficult to understand Bush because he spoke softly, and his Texan accent didn't transfer well over the speakers. Kerry's booming voice, however, was clear, and his words were distinguishable. Bush exuded more confidence than he had in previous debates and avoided getting too heated. He was actually keeping up quite well with Kerry.
But my awe for Bush's improvement diminished when he avoided several questions. Confronted with the minimum wage, Bush talked about No Child Left Behind. When asked if he wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade, he spoke about judges. Bush was unwilling to discuss these issues, simply spilling out unrelated rhetoric from the last two debates.
Bush also came off as childish when he stalled for time by making jokes.
"Whew!" he exclaimed after Kerry had made several, well-articulated points in his two minutes.
I found it telling, not funny, that the president was overwhelmed. "Gosh, I hope it's not the administration!" he replied when asked what was wrong with the country's health care.
These jokes were only funny because they revealed his inability to think on his feet. Up in the balcony -- despite the rule that we had to be silent throughout the debate -- we laughed several times at Bush himself, not at his jokes.
However, one of the most revealing aspects of the debate was not Bush's demeanor, but his response to a question about how faith plays a role in his administration. Bush made no effort to hide the fact that he uses his faith to make his decisions, whereas Kerry said that he would not be a Catholic president, but simply a president who is Catholic.
Bush's reliance on a religion that not all share is a frightening way for a person to lead our country, especially when faith guides so many of his decisions in the areas of women's and gay and lesbian rights. Bush pushes his morals on our nation, whereas Kerry understands that what he believes is right doesn't make it right for all of the United States.
As we streamed out of Gammage, exhausted from our day of excitement, some of us discussed who we thought won the debate. There was a general consensus among students that although it was less of a clear-cut victory than in the other two debates, Kerry still came out the winner.
Kerry is more articulate, better educated and more willing to listen to what the people want, instead of following his own agenda. Kerry may have forgotten about Poland, but Bush has forgotten about the American people.
Stephanie Berger is a journalism sophomore. Reach her at Stephanie.M.Berger@asu.edu.
