One more e-mail:

It’s amazing how different people can watch the same thing and come to such
radically different conclusions. Watching Bush, I saw a decent man
comfortable with power and clear on the importance of the moment he has
found himself in. His most important answer was the last one: what is this
election about? It is about whether we know that times have changed since
the 90s, and that American policy must meet the new challenge on its own
terms. This is truly the most important distinction between Bush and the
Democrats, and to see that he understands it is very reassuring. The notion
you relayed from someone that if Bush loses the election then this will be
the day he lost it betrays a profound lack of proportion: not only was this
just a Sunday morning political show, it was a Sunday morning political show
nine months before the election. Most people who watch such shows already
know who they’ll vote for in the next election (and have known since the day
after the last election), and most people who will vote in the next election
were not watching. Bush’s voters were in church.
We’ll all be talking and talking over the next few months, but for most
people this election will begin in August, and everything could change and
change again by then. Bush could certainly lose, but all he’s done today is
confirm some fears and confirm some hopes and offer some of us junkies a way
to pass the time.