TEMPE, Ariz. — The final presidential debate brought together two candidates and a moderator who have something in common — strong wives and two daughters.
"I guess the president and you and I are three examples of lucky people who married up," Democratic Sen. John Kerry (search) said to debate moderator Bob Schieffer (search).
"And some would say maybe me more so than others. But I can take it." Kerry joked as his multimillionaire wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry (search), watched from the audience.
President Bush said the strong women in his life taught him two things. "To listen to them. To stand up straight and not scowl," he said, taking a jab at his demeanor during the first presidential debate.
Bush also poked fun as his occasional mangling of the language, saying his wife, Laura, "speaks English a lot better than I do."
Joking aside, the candidates said the women in their lives were models of honor and compassion.
Kerry said his mother, counseling him from a hospital bed before she died, gave him some advice when he contemplated the presidential bid. "Remember, integrity, integrity, integrity," she told him.
Bush reminisced about the moment he met his wife at a backyard barbecue. "I guess you would say it was love at first sight," he said.
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