BlueBloggin

Well another debate where the moderators focusing their attention on Hillary, the elephant in the room. I appeared to me that Tim Russert was so focused on Clinton that he forgot to bring enough questions for everyone else. For all the anticipation and hype about Obama being more aggressive with Clinton, he seemed to miss his mark right out of the shoot.

After Edwards took two sharp blows at Clinton, Obama seemed to chime in on the attack. It was obvious that Richardson was carrying his olive branch to stop the guys from jumping on Clinton. Should Clinton get the nomination, Richardson was again applying for the vice president slot while boring us once again with his resume.

Edwards and Obama made it clear the saber rattling with Iran and Clinton being the only candidate that voted to class the Red Guard as a terrorist group emboldens Bush. Clinton’s response about Iran really bothers me; she stated that she “would not rush to war with Iran” that bothers me because Clinton didn’t say that she would not go to war with Iran or that she would do everything to avoid war with Iran. For me using the world “rush” mean it will happen but not this week.

Dodd made a good showing with several valid points on his record, experience and energy plan. Biden made several good points on Iran and Pakistan again showing his experience and foreign relations and of course his sense of humor on Giuliani. Kucinich unfortunately was mostly left out. Richardson again was very reliable in telling us his resume and applying for the vice president spot. Clinton did poor on immigration, blamed the national archives for not releasing her First Lady paper and changed her story while she was speaking.

I think it would be refreshing if the moderators asked questions beyond Iraq, attacking Iran and not being so focus on their darling Hillary. With all the important issues facing the country, I thought the question to Kucinich about the UFO was stupid and unfair. But then, what would expect from the MSM who actually had to focus their attention away from Britney Spear for two hours.

From the transcript:

Clinton: Well, first of all, I am against a rush to war. I was the first person on this stage and one of the very first in the Congress to go to the floor of the Senate back in February and say George Bush had no authority to take any military action in Iran.

• Secondly, I am not in favor of this rush for war, but I’m also not in favor of doing nothing.

• Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. And the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is in the forefront of that, as they are in the sponsorship of terrorism

Edwards made some very good points about Clinton which seemed to set the pace for Obama.

Edwards:Let me talk a little bit about what I see as the choice the voters have. I think that from my perspective, President Bush over the last seven years has destroyed the trust relationship America and its president. In fact, I think he has destroyed the trust relationship between the president of the United States and the rest of the world.

• I think it is crucial for Democratic voters and caucus-goers to determine who they can trust, who’s honest, who is sincere, who has integrity.

• And I think it’s fair in that regard to look at what people have said. Senator Clinton says that she believes she can be the candidate for change, but she defends a broken system that’s corrupt in Washington, D.C.

• She says she will end the war, but she continues to say she’ll keep combat troops in Iraq. and continue combat missions in

• To me, that’s not ending the war, that’s a continuation of the war.

• She says she’ll stand up to George Bush on Iran. She just said it again. And, in fact, she voted to give George Bush the first step in moving militarily on Iran — and he’s taken it. Bush and Cheney have taken it. They have now declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization and a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction.

• And then, finally, she said in our last debate that she was against any changes on Social Security — benefits, retirement aid, or raising the cap on the Social Security tax — but apparently, it’s been reported that she said privately something different than that.

• And I think the American people, given this historic moment in our country’s history, deserve a president of the United States that they know will tell them the truth, and won’t say one thing one time and something different at a different time.

Edwards: Well, here’s what I want. I want to make certain that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire and all across America, Democrats and Independents, understand that you have choices in this election, very clear choices.

• If you believe that combat missions should be continued in Iraq over the long term, if you believe that combat troops should remain stationed in Iraq, and if you believe there should be no actual timetable for withdrawal, then Senator Clinton is your candidate.

Russert asked Clinton about her experience as first lady but her records are not being release to check her experience. Russert stated that President Clinton has asked the National Archives not to do anything until 2012.

Clinton: Well, that’s not my decision to make, and I don’t believe that any president or first lady ever has. But, certainly, we’re move as quickly as our circumstances and the processes of the National Archives permits.

Obama: Well, look, I’m glad that Hillary took the phrase “turn the page.” It’s a good one, but this is an example of not turning the page. We have just gone through one of the most secretive administrations in our history.

• And not releasing, I think, these records at the same time, Hillary, that you’re making the claim that this is the basis for your experience, I think, is a problem.

• Part of what we have to do is invite the American people back to participate in their government again. Part of what we need to do is rebuild trust in our government again.

Dodd: Well, first, I think electability’s a very critical issue. Look, at the end of this process here, we need to have a Democrat in the White House come January 20, 2009. That is essential in my view to get this country back on its feet again, to restore our moral authority in the world. It is a critical question.

• Whether it’s fair or not fair, the fact of the matter is that my colleague from New York, Senator Clinton, there are 50 percent of the American public that say they’re not going to vote for her. I’m not saying anything that people don’t know already. I don’t necessarily like it, but those are the facts.

Best statement about Rudy Giuliani:

Biden: I’m not running against Hillary Clinton. I’m running to lead the free world. I’m running to lead this country. And the irony is, Rudy Giuliani, probably the most underqualified man since George Bush to seek the presidency.

• Rudy Giuliani — I mean, think about it. Rudy Giuliani — there’s only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11. I mean, there’s nothing else.There’s nothing else, and I mean this sincerely. He is genuinely not qualified to be president. Here’s a man who brags about how he made the city safe. It was the Biden crime bill that became the Clinton crime bill that allowed him to do that.

Best statement from a politician to the media:

Kucinich: With all due respect to our friends from the media here, the media itself has to be careful how you frame these questions. We don’t want to be put in a position where we are taking this country to the threshold of war. The media did play a role in taking us into war in Iraq. And I’m urging members of the media — urge restraint upon you and our president, whose rhetoric is out of control.

Most irrelevant and stupidest question of the debate:

Russert: Congressman Kucinich, I want to move to a different area, because this is a serious question. The godmother of your daughter, Shirley MacLaine, writes in her new book that you sighted a UFO over her home in Washington state. that you found the encounter extremely moving, that it was a “triangular craft, silent and hovering,” that you “felt a connection to your heart and heard directions in your mind.”

Now, did you see a UFO?

Full transcript

Posted by nytexan October 31st, 2007 | Category: Biden, Clinton, Democratic Debate, Dodd, Edwards, Election, Kucinich, MSNBC, Obama, Op-Ed, Politics, Richardson, debate | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL