The Blog of toussaint

Well, where to begin?  i think that the best way to blog my thoughts on the debate is to go through each candidate starting with the one i thought did the best.  But before i do that,  i just wanted to say that the format was much much better than the last debate and i felt that i learned much more about the candidates positions than just being able to judge them on style points.  Good job, Wolf.

Biden:

i know what you are thinking, "Biden did the best?".  i would say so because he came out punching like a fighter who was just told that it is the last round and he is down on points so he had better go for a knock out. And he did it with out personally attacking any one.  He was the voice of reason and practicality on why the Democrats could not de-fund the war; on the tragedy in Darfur; and on what to do about Iran.  He actually said, "Sometimes a President has to be practical."  A point, no doubt, lost on our current President and on this Congress.  i think that he has secured himself a V.P. consideration, and will be at the top of a lot of people's lists for that post until they realize that his mouth is built more like a shotgun than the sniper rifle that he was tonight.

Obama:

He was the true winner of this evening but i gave the top spot to Biden because i felt that he deserved it for speaking so plain and forceful.  With two exceptions, Obama was the only one who got people so worked up they forgot they were not supposed to be clapping until the end.  One exception was when Edwards said Obama was right and he was wrong about the war from the beginning.  The other was Hillary's joke about Cheney that i will discuss when i get to her.  He finally put some meat on those bones on a variety of issues from health care to his tax policy.  He was smooth and quick to jump in and claim a lot of time to answer.  He also got the crowd to laugh at Edwards,  who was trying to hammer him on his vote not to fund the troops by saying he was not leading on this issue because he came to the floor late and did not make a big deal about his vote.  To which Obama replied that he was about 4 and 1/2 years to late to be challenging anyone's leadership.(Burrrrrnnnn!)  i predict that Obama will win New Hampshire if he does not blow it.

Hillary:

She is the "big boy" in the room.  She was so considerate and grown up while a lot of the candidates looked like her spoiled children arguing over the remote to the TV.  i was taking notes on the debate while it was happening and i had a page to write my thoughts on each candidate.  i did not have a lot written on my Clinton page because she did what a front runner is supposed to do: stay above the fray and look presidential.  But she got me when they were discussing the foreign policy of the Bush administration.  She was saying that they just half-ass their diplomacy by sending Condi or Cheney out to make an occasional speech here or there and not really talking to people and sticking with it after the speech.  She interrupted herself by saying that sending Dick Cheney anywhere was not diplomatic in her opinion, and the crowd roared.  She got just what she wanted: not to make any real news but to get her sound bite on TV the next day by being what she usually is not . . . funny.

Those were the three winners of last night, now let's go on to the losers.

Edwards:

i am sure his supporters thought he did fine but this exercise is about gaining new supporters, and i just don't think he helped himself by not only getting to the left of Hillary but also getting left of everyone on the stage except "the two crazies"as i have nicknamed them. ( You know who i mean. Don't pretend like you don't!) Not only did he appear to be too left for a lot of Democrats but he also antagonized Hillary and Obama.  Not a smart move because he would make a very appealing V.P.  But he ruined that chance last night by basically saying that all the front runners care about is political expediency.  That was a huge mistake for him to say it himself.  He had "the two crazies" there to do that for him and they did it all night but the problem is that now he looks like one of them and not like a 1st tier candidate.  The "big boys" know that you never alienate your opponents because you will have to deal with them politically later, even if you win.  i predict he will probably hang on till the bitter end and might even win Iowa, but he is done.

Dodd and Richardson:

They do not deserve an entry a-piece because i have the same advice for both of them.  Follow the Vilsack model: realize when you are beaten and out-classed and get out of the race before you do something to jeopardize your chance for a position in the winner's administration.

"The Two Crazies":Grumpy Gravel and Ku Ku Kucinich

i call these guys that with all due respect.  In fact they are my favorites and they make the debates worth watching just to see how many chances they get to call these bought and paid for candidates out.  Unlike Dodd and Richardson, they have nooo chance at getting a cushy job in anyone's administration. So guys, hang in there and keep letting them have it!  You keep the candidates at the top honest by saying "Hey, remember a little thing called ideals and principles!!!?"  i love it.

Other things i noticed:

Even though it was supposed to be commercial free, did you see how Verizon stuck in a commercial? Can you hear me now?  Good!