An Immodest Proposal

There is a great deal of good, serious commentary on the Bush-Kerry debate out there, for example here, and here. The drinking games and flamewars are here.

I propose for the next debate we institute a new drinking game: Rather than viewers drinking when, for example, one of them says "war on terror," I propose that the candidates drink. Every time Bush says "war on terror" or "fighting for freedom," he takes a drink. Every time Kerry says "wrong choice" or "plan to win the peace," he takes a drink.

Sound silly? Perhaps, but if they found themselves unable to keep wending back to their catch phrases, they would be forced into new territory, into improvising, and perhaps giving us something new insight into how they think.

Alternatively, they'd just get drunk, their guards would drop, and we'd get to see the real men.

This debate was not insubstantive, but I didn't learn anything new. The Presidential Drinking Contest would certainly show us something new, one way or the other...

Of course there would be days of negotiations and a 32-page memo about what they would each drink. Maybe they could just tell Jenna Bush to get them whatever she's drinking.

Use the comment thread to suggest other phrases for them to drink on.