6:10pm To Hillary: Is it true that you skirt questions? "Well, that depends on what you mean by 'skirts.'" Seriously, though, Hillary couldn't even deliver her "asbestos pant suit" gag well enough to get many laughs. She has all the humor of me after covering one of these, sober.
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What’s more surprising, the Messiah fumbling the topic that waylaid the Glacier at the last debate or ending up the butt of a huge laugh line from CNN’s most mild-mannered anchor?Insta:
I'll just add that the lighting seems awfully unflattering. Who was in charge of that?Ramesh:
Hugh:Go Biden!
"Nothing in the Patriot Act" allows profiling.
Variations on the theme of "I have been in public life for 35 years" is clearly her way of dodging any demand that she be specific about any issue on which she wants to avoid specificity. It is a sham answer that she uses to skip over tough questions by pretending that her positions on every issue are well known.Michelle hands out grades:
Wolf Blitzer: D. You’re no Tim Russert, Wolf.Biden has been, by far, my favorite on the stage the last two debates. He's funny, he's found his way past the long-windedness that used to characterize his rhetoric and seems to be having fun as a second-tier with nothing to lose but plenty to say. He answered "No" to a yes-or-no question (Hallelujah!). He stopped the pile-on about the Patriot Act by pointing out that it has nothing to do with profiling, and he gets off several good lines. In response to Wolf's, "Would you support the nominee no matter who it is?"
Biden: A for shooting down Denny K’s nutroots antics and for calling out Suzanne Malveaux’s agenda-pushing.
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Hell no, I wouldn't support any of these guys.And:
I’m not criticizing any of these three folks who are the ones who get to talk all the time at these things.The Clinton camp on Obama:
People here are literally shouting at the screen over Obama's hedging on drivers licenses for illegals. They're sensing that he's teetering on the edge of the same trap that Clinton fell in last time on this tricky issue, and they're loving it.The RNC:
“Let’s hope voters didn’t bet on Hillary Clinton clearing up her contradictory statements in Las Vegas tonight. From driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants to free trade, from national defense to Social Security, her statements all stand in stark contrast to her record. Americans deserve to hear where their presidential candidates stand on principle, not just where they stand at the moment.”Marc Ambinder:
Tonight’s debate will probably stop the talk of a huge momentum swing away from Hillary Clinton. Though a little overly conducted at times, Clinton did not sound any obvious false notes, nor did she strike confusing or conflicting notes, and, as a bonus, she got an entire minute and a half to make her rah-rah appeal to women. Clinton had the most at stake tonight, and she arguably gave her most commanding performance to date.
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By my count she only did that droning thing that's supposed to sound like passion but is really just an elevation in monotone one time, so a decent performance for Hill. But--and I'm gonna get in trouble for critiquing this because she's a woman, but it matters--could someone please, please, please get her a short-cut blazer ASAP. As a woman, I cannot help but be saddened by a jacket choice seemingly made by Karl Rove himself. No one in their right mind puts a middle-aged woman in a jacket that hits below the hip unless said woman is built like Olive Oil in training for a marathon. Mrs. Clinton is not. She should advise her advisers that she no longer wishes to look like a pear.
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The Obama blog has decidedly less praise to boast about than Clinton's, but here's one guy who had something nice to say. Of course, it's TNR, so check the sources:
This was a solid night for Obama. He was focused, energized, tough, charismatic.I'm calling it a night. Your political programming will now go back to its regularly scheduled all-Hillary-all-the-time, but it was nice to have a fight there for a while. If only Obama or Edwards had been man enough to really man up. Who were we kiddin'?
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