The American Spectator

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Son-of-a-coal-miner Byrd said on "Meet the Press" on July 18, "I've told him (Kerry) he should go to West Virginia. He should shake hands with the people. He should be at their level and get a little coal dust on his hands. Get some of that dirty dust on his hands and on his face and live in spirit with the working people of this country, the coal miners."

p>Likable President Bush, though, interacts with people as the businessman he is. He knows you can only dupe a current or prospective client once. And that you'd better be careful about out-dressing or over-speaking any client. Too, Mr. Bush also knows that humor, especially self-deprecating, helps create relationships and often reveals a person's strength and humility. br> -- C. Kenna Amos Jr. br> Princeton, West Virginia /p>

If the most rewarding aspect of Friday night's debate was the President's resurgence, then the most striking was the tone of the questions. Elicited from a presumably "balanced" town hall audience, the questions had a remarkably conservative -- not to mention well-informed and smart -- tone.

"Mr. Kerry, why did you put a trial lawyer on the ticket?"

"Mr. President, why are you letting my rights erode under the Patriot Act?"

"Senator, since thousands of people have been healed using adult and placental stem cells, yet none have been healed via embryos, why do you support embryonic stem cell research?"

"Iran is clearly emerging as a nuclear threat. What are you going to do about it?"

The list could go on in the same vein. Great questions that received tepid answers (usually from both candidates, regrettably). If the audience in St. Louis is Midwestern-typical of the greater mass, then in this cycle the electorate is soberly considering serious issues, with a bent toward real solutions.

p>That does not bode well for our vague, "liberal but not A liberal" Foreign Minister Kerry. br> -- Todd Wieland

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