What the Libertarians Are Saying About the Debate
From lp.org:

The argument on Iraq between President George Bush and Senator John Kerry in last night's debate proves that neither man is qualified to be commander-in-chief, Libertarians say.

"The president stubbornly defended his decision to launch an unnecessary war that has claimed over 1,000 American lives and plunged Iraq into chaos and anarchy," said Joseph Seehusen, executive director of the Libertarian Party. "John Kerry correctly pointed out that the war was a mistake, then vowed to continue it.

"Since presidents are supposed to protect American lives -- not recklessly endanger them -- neither man is fit to serve."

As the war in Iraq dominated the discussion in the first presidential debate, held at the University of Miami on Thursday, Bush defended launching the pre-emptive war and said, "It's essential that we not leave."

Though Kerry pointed out that Bush made "a colossal error of judgment" in invading Iraq, he pledged to continue the error if elected and said "we don't have enough troops there."

Libertarians say America is in deep trouble when its two main presidential contenders can spend 90 minutes arguing over the best way to perpetuate a failed government policy.

"Unfortunately neither man had the courage or the common sense to admit the obvious: Starting this war was a colossal mistake, and the next president should stop making that mistake," Seehusen said.

"As a direct result of Bush's actions, over 1,000 Americans have lost family members, and hundreds of billions of tax dollars have been wasted. As the situation in Iraq grows worse, we see hostage-taking, assassinations, beheadings, and innocent children being dismembered by car bombs. And if either Bush or Kerry is elected, we'll get more of it. What kind of choice is that?"

Missing from the debate was any discussion of reforming U.S. foreign policy by removing troops from places where they don't belong, Libertarians say.

"The purpose of having a strong military isn't to get us into wars, it's to keep us out of wars," Seehusen said. "Adopting a foreign policy of neutrality and non-intervention and using the military only for defensive purposes is the best way to protect our nation.

"If there's one positive development from last night's debate, it's that Bush and Kerry gave the American people a long list of things the next president should NOT do: wars not to fight, lies not to tell, lives not to sacrifice, and money not to spend. Perhaps we should at least thank them for that."