Citizen of the world

Having lived in Germany for a few months during the run up to the Iraq War, all I can say is that I’m deeply impressed with Obama’s appearance. The idea that 200,000 Germans, people who despised America in 2002, would show up to cheer an American presidential hopeful and wave the flag deeply impresses me. Maybe there’s hope for our reputation, after all.

Well, that was weird

That’s basically the best summary of the debate I can come up with. Maybe it’s just that I haven’t watched Tim Russert moderate before (thankfully). The whole thing seemed kind of surreal, with hypothetical after hypothetical. What if we have to re-invade Iraq? What if we have to re-invade Kosovo? What if Putin invades Finland? What if we need to hold Kamchatka? Does anyone really think that this is a good way of evaluating candidates? HRC was definitely channeling my feelings when she lamented all the important foreign policy questions that could have been asked, but weren’t. I do like that she is willing to call him out on being an awful moderator.

That said, I think Obama took this one. He handled himself very well in the foreign policy section; in fact, I think he did better on that front than Clinton. The point about having a nominee who can point out that they opposed the war from the beginning is important, and has resonance with those of us who were frustrated by Kerry’s failure to effectively oppose Bush in 2004. Hillary really needed to bludgeon him here, and it didn’t work.  Moreover, it was a rough night for her, not because of her answers, but because she definitely got the short end of the stick with the moderators (Russert especially). Also, and maybe this was just me, but I thought that her response on the Louis Farrakhan question, where she basically implied that maybe Obama wasn’t being forceful enough in “rejecting” anti-semitism, was really poor form. Worst moment of the night, IMO.
Not that much else to say that I haven’t. It was overall weird, and kind of boring. Not exactly a rip-roaring end to the primary debates.

Final round debate

I’m writing this while watching. I missed that whole health care fight at the start, but some thoughts on the rest as I watch:

- As everyone’s already pointed out, Hillary’s complaint about always being first was really really weird. I understand that she’s trying to push this “bias” thing, but that wasn’t very effective. Neither was the SNL reference. If you’re going to complain about media bias, seems somewhat problematic to cite… a network television show. Granted, no-one watches SNL, but still.

- The NAFTA argument was just depressing. I’m sad that the Democratic Party seems to be headed back to protectionist rhetoric. Here’s hoping that it’s mostly just rhetoric.

- If we’re going to keep saying that we have to “re-negotiate” NAFTA, I want to know what aspects we need to re-negotiate. Name them. I want to hear about more than stupid “timeouts”.

- Obama handled himself really well on the foreign policy issue, I think. The criticism of the Pakistan thing is really dumb, in my opinion, and HRC claiming that he “threatened to bomb Pakistan” just struck me as a comical framing. Also, Tim Russert was at new levels of Russertian stupidity in that section, asking a question about re-invading a hypothetical Iraq-Qaeda merger. WTF Russert?

- Hillary landing some good blows on the infamous energy vote and some kind of 30% credit care limit that I’ve never heard about.

- Russert asking Obama about his “pledge” to accept public financing. Of course, no mention of McCain’s rampant abuse of the public financing from Russert. Obama, to his credit, hits that point. GOOD.

- Russert: “You may break your word” OMG HE NEVER PLEDGED ANYTHING. I cannot stand Russert. Can we have Brian Williams ask more questions?

- Now Timmeh is giving some tortured reason that he wants to see the Clinton tax return. God, the lady’s busy! No time to file taxes in February!

- Now we’re talking about Louis Farrakhan? Yeah, OK. That’s important. I mean, they’re both black, right? (God I hate Russert.)

- Shorter Tim Russert: Enough about you guys, I want to talk for a while.

- Tim Russert: I will not stop this nonsense until you take a dump on this picture of Louis Farrakhan I have here to night. WILL YOU PLEDGE TO POOP ON FARRAKHAN IF ELECTED

- Obama is handling himself well in the face of Timmeh’s idiocy on Obama’s apparent Nation of Islam membership.

- Wow. Hillary is being REALLY lame here on this important FarrakhanGate. Apparently, denounce < reject. This is so stupid. Thanks, Russert.

- Curses! Done in by my laptop’s crappy battery life! Anyway, things are winding down. Some summary thoughts later. This liveblogging thing is kind of fun though.

That’s what she said

The whole “Who Let The Dogs Out” affair has revealed something important. Mitt Romney = Michael Scott. Think about it. Desperate to be loved, painfully awkward, legendary panderers, chronic backpedalers… they’re the same person.

I can only hope that Mitty gets the nomination, since the writers’ strike means no new Office for a while.

Smear tactics

Am I the only person who is kind of unsettled by the whole “muslim smear” thing? Largely because the “smear” seems to consist of “Obama’s a muslim”? Seems more like an “inaccuracy” to me.

I guess crankiness beats cheerfulness

We got a race, people! I’m excited to see the first really competitive primary since I moved to the States.

Two sides to every story

From the good cheer among Obama campaigners (h/t Steve):

“I’m undecided between Obama and Hillary,” one young woman said. “Aren’t you tired of the old?” [Larry David, who is campaigning for Obama] replied. “Don’t you want to put on some clean clothes? Voting for Hillary would be like doing Frasier again on TV. Don’t you want something fresh, new and creative?”

“I mean, haven’t we had enough with Bushes and Clintons and Bushes?” he continued. “The country needs a shower, a good, long, hot shower. That’s what Obama is, a hot shower. So fresh you can smell him. Delicious.”

This is why I love Larry David. On the other hand, things are decidedly crankier in the Clinton camp:

 ”It is wrong that Senator Obama got to go through 15 debates trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year, enumerating the years, and never got asked one time–not once, ‘Well, how could you say that when you said in 2004 you didn’t know how you would have voted on the resolution? You said in 2004 there was no difference between you and George Bush on the war. And you took that speech you’re now running on off your Web site in 2004. And there’s no difference in your voting record and Hillary’s ever since.’” Mr. Clinton said at a town-hall style meeting Monday afternoon at Dartmouth College. “Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen.”

I love Bill, but I have to say that this reeks of desperation. It’s really quite surprising that these guys seem to be completely unprepared for the post-Iowa fallout. I mean, they had to have known that (1) there was a very good chance that Obama would win in Iowa and (2) that the press, generally hostile to Hillary, would jump at the opportunity to paint her campaign as reeling. Why didn’t they have a better plan for dealing with this? One of my attractions to Hillary as a candidate was that she’d taken her lumps, and that she’d surely be a formidable campaigner as a result. Now… not so sure.