Debates may well never take place, as there is only a potential for them to be harmful for Bush. Why would Bush take that chance in what could be a close race.

The election is now a short two months, or a little over 8 weeks away. Polls now DO matter, especially if they are showing that Bush has come out of his convention with this kind of a lead. This could well mean that he is finally breaking away from Kerry, now that the voters are starting to pay attention.

If the economy doesn't do a major tank in the next two months, which looks likely at this point, and if the terrorists keep up their insane level of terrorist attacks in Israel, Iraq, and now Russia, which it appears almost a certainty, the American voter is going to stick with Bush, because truly, Kerry isn't a legitimate or authentic alternative for the majority of voters. His positions on the war on Iraq and the war on terror are nearly identical to Bush's. There are differences between him and Bush on the domestic agenda, but if people feel the economy isn't going to tank, with the current levels of terrorist attacks going on by the Muslim jihad terrorist movements, Bush is almost certainly a shoe-in at this point.

As usual, the Democrats are clueless about these realities. They'd rather talk about how mean the Republicans are to them, as if anyone gives a shit.