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OCTOBER 4, 2000

Depending on whom you ask, the first Presidential debate last night was either a big bore or a super showdown, with Al Gore and George Bush spending most of the time repeating numbers and themselves.

Without a doubt, the main focus of the night were the issues. Social security, prescription drugs, economic prosperity, and tax cuts were key points of both Gore and Bush, with each challenging one another on their proposals.

Gore repeatedly said Bush's tax proposal would only benefit the wealthy and Bush responded by challenging Gore's assertions as "fuzzy math."

"I'm beginning to think, not only did he invent the Internet, but he invented the calculator," barbed Bush.

Bush also questioned Gore's leadership abilities. Near the end of the debate, he also attacked the general character of the Clinton-Gore administration, alluding to fundraising scandals and sleepovers in the Lincoln bedroom.

In the end, both candidates and their supporters termed the debate a success, which took place in Boston, Massachusetts. However, debate analysts gave Gore the edge, as a national Associated Press panel named the Vice-President the victor.

Outside the debate, protesters came out en masse, numbering about 12,000. Wen Ho Lee, violence in the Middle East, and Gore's family ownership of stock in Occidental Petroleum were among the many issues and topics hotly debated among protesters.

But a major showdown appeared to occur between supporters of Ralph Nader and Gore. In one incident, a man in a Gore t-shirt was seen grabbing a 3-foot wooden cross, hitting a Nader supporter over the head, causing the cross to break.

Nader himself was denied entrance to the debate. A local student gave him a ticket, but Nader was turned away.

"I've been instructed by the commission to advise you that even though you have a ticket you are not an invited guest in possession of the ticket to this event," a security officer told Nader.

Nader vowed action in response to the snub.

Relevant Links:
The Commission on Presidential Debates - www.debates.org

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