So two of the debates are over. It would be nice if the debates determined the presidency more directly. Kerry and Edwards would win 3-1 or something, which is not so far off from winning 4-3, as Bush did in 2000.

One point I wish Kerry or Edwards would make is the dubious way the Bush administration claims America is safer. Kerry and Edwards are both alluding to uninspected luggage in planes’ cargo holds, but they tend to stop there. On Friday, after Bush brags about killing “thousands of Al Qaida,” I want Kerry to say:

“Killing people in Afghanistan does not make America safer. What makes America safer? The President does not seem to know, but I’ll tell you. Securing our ports makes America safer, so I don’t know why the President refuses to devote the resources to do so. Inspecting every bag that goes on an airplane makes America safer, so I don’t understand why the President refuses to do so. Keeping tabs on nuclear material makes America safer now, not in 13 years, which is how long President Bush plans to take gathering rogue nuclear weapons. Putting more cops on the street makes America safer. Making sure our veterans and their families are financially secure so they can focus on fighting terror makes America safer. Sending our manpower and resources to Iraq instead of using them to secure our nation has left the United States vulnerable to attack. And now the President says that because I am standing here telling you the truth, I am sending the wrong message. Only a stubborn leader on a failed course would say the truth is the wrong message for the American people.”