15 October 2004	Friday	29 Shaban 1425

WASHINGTON, Oct 14: Leading US newspapers said on Thursday a series of three debates between President George W. Bush and his Democratic challenger John Kerry had fulfilled their purpose by helping Americans learn more about both candidates ahead of the November 2 election.

But they criticized the performance of both politicians - most without designating a specific winner of the third and final face-off between the two in Tempe, Arizona, late Wednesday.

"True, both men tried to score cheap shots, and they hewed to their talking points even when their answers didn't quite fit the topic," The New York Times said in an editorial. "But it's hard to believe that anyone who watched with attention didn't come away with a good handle on who John Kerry and George Bush are, what they believe, and how they would approach running the country."

The paper said Bush "tends to regard even policy choices as matters of faith." For him, The Times continued, "all of his initiatives are success stories, and the devil take the details."

As for Kerry, the editorial noted that he "sometimes sounded like a man who is trying desperately to obscure positions he believes are unpopular." USA Today concluded that the three debates have amply demonstrated that Bush and Kerry agree on precious little.

"Perhaps more significant than their huge gulf on issues, these are two very different men," the paper said. "Different in style. Different in approach and temperament. Different in core beliefs. How viewers perceived those differences may well decide the election."

Writing in The Wall Street Journal columnist Al Hunt said, "The final presidential debate was a high-level affair where both candidates performed at their peaks, and it probably didn't change many minds in a very tight election."

The Washington Post expressed displeasure with both politicians, accusing them of trying to avoid the most tangled and sensitive issues. "President Bush and Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee, both appeared confident and competent, and they presented sharp contrasts on issues ranging from abortion to economic policy," said The Post editorial. "Both, when confronted with the hardest questions, simply ducked."

One notable exception from the generally non-committal chorus was The Los Angeles Times, which declared Kerry the "convincing winner" of the whole series. "Stitched together, these three extraordinary exchanges amounted to a powerful indictment of the president's leadership," the paper said. -AFP