The One Zillionth Democratic Debate

The two best moderators in these debates ever are Tim Russert and Brian Williams. They ask the tough and pointed questions.

Is the Clinton machine waning yet?

A focus group on Hannity and Colmes was shown during the first half of the debate with Frank Luntz. The question was asked how many were undecided when they came in. Everyone raised their hands. Then, they were asked how many were now for Hillary, most raised their hands. The focus group thought Hillary was doing the better job. Are these people out to lunch? Or, are Democrats just stupid? Maybe the latter. I think these people in the focus groups just say they are undecided to get their fifteen minutes of fame on primetime.

In a word – Hillary lost, and Obama will be the nominee. Hillary gets the first question, and she whines or so it seemed that she always gets the first question, and then rambles on ad nauseum about her health care plan. We all know that both Barack and Hillary want socialized healthcare, but I would surmise not even Democrats care so much about the little details that Hillary gawked about for 16 minutes. Of course, it was nothing that was not brought up in the last 19 debates. I wonder how many viewers she lost during that diatribe.

Hillary bashes Bush, and says it was Bush's fault for her failure to create 200,000 jobs in New York, her campaign pledge when running for New York senate. She apparently had a net loss of 30,000 jobs. It's never Hillary's fault. Guess how Hillary is going to create jobs in the U.S.. She wants to be like Germany. She wants to have everyone out putting solar panels on roofs, doing geothermal stuff, installing wind turbines, biofuels, and a whole bunch of other green-nonsense. Sure that will get America working or not. How about getting people to drill for our oil, and getting people employed in the nuclear plant business?

Obama was able to deflect every attack from Hillary. When asked if he rejected Farrakan and his teachings, he said "I have been very clear in my denunciations," Obama continued by adding "I think that they are unacceptable and reprehensible." (Referring to Farrakan's anti-Semitic teachings) Hillary then carped about how Obama should not just denounce but reject Farrakan. What could have been an explosive event Obama diffused by saying "If the word 'reject' Senator Clinton feels is stronger than the word denounce,' then I'm happy to concede the point and I would reject and denounce." So, it was another point for Obama if anyone was keeping score.


Click on the words reject and denounce if you want to know the difference between the two.

There was a question on Iraq that should have been easy to answer, but again Hillary blew it, and Obama answered it correctly. Russert asked Hillary what would she do as president if "U.S. troops are pulled out of Iraq and Al Queda resurges and Iraq goes to hell." Clinton responded "You know, Tim, you ask a lot of hypotheticals." She evaded the question, and began to reiterate her talking points about what she would do as president concerning the Iraq war. To that I say huh? Russert is asking a valid question and a question everyone wants to know. Obama said, "As commander in chief I always reserve the right to make sure we are looking out for American interests. And if Al Queda is forming a base in Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American homeland and our interests abroad." Bull's eye – That was the correct response. Hillary then realized Obama had a better answer, and started trying to say something when Tim Russert said, "We have to go to a commercial break." Another point for Obama, another black eye for Hilary.

And then there was NAFTA. Clinton said she was always critical of NAFTA, and then Obama said Clinton was not always against it, and Russert confirmed it by citing all the incidents where Clinton had praised NAFTA, and how she said it was good for America. -- oops! You should have seen Clinton backpeddle on that one.

I love it when Tim Russert puts those questions in on who so and so is in debates, because it shows how adept the candidates are on foreign issues. He did it with Fred Thompson with the prime minister of Canada, Stephen Harper (which Fred nailed), and he did it again with Hillary Clinton with Putin's heir apparent Dimitry Medvedev, and she had trouble pronouncing the last name. Knowing the names of foreign leaders is kind of important for the commander in chief.

Then when asked about the Iraq War, Obama compares his vote on the authorization for war to Hillary when he deftly compares it to the following analogy, "Once we had driven the bus into the ditch, there were only so many ways we could get out, The question is: Who's making the decision initially to drive the bus into the ditch?" I thought that was actually a good analogy. But let's see Obama was one of only a few senators who voted against the war. No one knew whether or not Sadaam had WMDs, and no one wanted to find out. In any event, Sadaam was planning to reconstitute his weapons anyway, so why did Hillary not say something like this, "Well, no one is making the decision to drive into the ditch, because no one knows it's there." Obama is much more skillful at taking the negative and turning it into a positive while Hillary struggles to find an answer that her audience will like.

This was Hillary's campaign to lose, and she lost. Hillary's performance in this debate was abysmal. Obama will be the Democratic nominee.

Advice to John McCain: Obama lacks experience, he is to the left of everything this side of Berkley, he does not represent what America is all about, but do not underestimate him. He will be a formidable candidate, and if you don't get your act together and convince conservatives you are a conservative, Obama will be the next president indeed, and that is a scary thought.