And the first question is for President Bush and it's from John Horstman.

HORSTMAN: Mr. President, why did you block the reimportation of safer and inexpensive drugs from Canada which would have cut 40 to 60 percent off of the cost?

BUSH: I haven't yet. Just want to make sure they're safe.  When a drug comes in from Canada, I want to make sure it cures you and doesn't kill you.

And that's why the FDA and that's why the surgeon general are looking very carefully to make sure it can be done in a safe way. I've got an obligation to make sure our government does everything we can to protect you.

And what my worry is is that, you know, it looks like it's from Canada, and it might be from a third world.

And we've just got to make sure, before somebody thinks they're buying a product, that it works.  And that's why we're doing what we're doing.

Now, it may very well be here in December you'll hear me say, I think there's a safe way to do it.

There are other ways to make sure drugs are cheaper.  One is to speed up generic drugs to the marketplace, quicker. Pharmaceuticals were using loopholes to keep brand -- brand drugs in place, and generics are much less expensive than brand drugs.  And we're doing just that.

Another is to pass -- to get our seniors to sign up to these drug discount cards, and they're working.

Wanda Blackmore I met here from Missouri, the first time she bought drugs with her drug discount card, she paid $1.14, I think it was, for about $10 worth of drugs.

These cards make sense.

And, you know, in 2006 seniors are going to get prescription drug coverage for the first time in Medicare.  Because I went to Washington to fix problems.

Medicare -- the issue of Medicare used to be called "Mediscare."  People didn't want to touch it for fear of getting hurt politically.

I wanted to get something done.  I think our seniors deserve a modern medical system.  And in 2006, our seniors will get prescription drug coverage.

Thank you for asking.

GIBSON: Senator, a minute and a half.

KERRY: John, you heard the president just say that he thought he might try to be for it.

Four years ago, right here in this forum, he was asked the same question: Can't people be able to import drugs from Canada?  You know what he said?  "I think that makes sense. I think that's a good idea" -- four years ago.

Now, the president said, "I'm not blocking that."  Ladies and gentlemen, the president just didn't level with you right now again.

He did block it, because we passed it in the United States Senate.  We sent it over to the House, that you could import drugs.  We took care of the safety issues.

We're not talking about third-world drugs.  We're talking about drugs made right here in the United States of America that have American brand names on them and American bottles.  And we're asking to be able to allow you to get them.

The president blocked it.  The president also took Medicare, which belongs to you.  And he could have lowered the cost of Medicare and lowered your taxes and lowered the costs to seniors.

You know what he did?  He made it illegal, illegal for Medicare to do what the V.A. does, which is bulk purchase drugs so that you can lower the price and get them out to you lower.

He put $139 billion of windfall profit into the pockets of the drug companies right out of your pockets.  That's the difference between us.  The president sides with the power companies, the oil companies, the drug companies.  And I'm fighting to let you get those drugs from Canada, and I'm fighting to let Medicare survive.

I'm fighting for the middle class.  That is the difference.

BUSH: If they're safe, they're coming.  I want to remind you that it wasn't just my administration that made the decision on safety. President Clinton did the same thing, because we have an obligation to protect you.

Now, he talks about Medicare.  He's been in the United States Senate 20 years.  Show me one accomplishment toward Medicare that he accomplished.

I've been in Washington, D.C., three and a half years and led the Congress to reform Medicare so our seniors have got a modern health care system.  That's what leadership is all about.

KERRY: Actually, Mr. President, in 1997 we fixed Medicare, and I was one of the people involved in it.

We not only fixed Medicare and took it way out into the future, we did something that you don't know how to do: We balanced the budget.  And we paid down the debt of our nation for two years in a row, and we created 23 million new jobs at the same time.

And it's the president's fiscal policies that have driven up the biggest deficits in American history.  He's added more debt to the debt of the United States in four years than all the way from George Washington to Ronald Reagan put together.  Go figure.

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