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Video: Kissinger Disputes Obama Debate Claim About Negotiations With Iran
CLASH OF THE TITANS: Obama and Clinton Debate In Austin
Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will face off tonight in Austin, TX. Interested parties can tune into CNN at 8 PM ET (7PM if you live in TX) to watch it live!
Here’s what the Houston Chronicle says about tonight’s debate:
WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton, reeling from 10 consecutive defeats and slipping further behind Barack Obama in the delegate count, needs to do something to reverse the front-runner’s momentum. Her campaign strategists think they have just the solution: tonight’s debate in Austin.
With less than two weeks before pivotal primaries in Texas and Ohio, Clinton campaign officials are counting on landing a memorable zinger or forcing an Obama gaffe that could change the dynamic of the presidential race.
“Debates can turn elections,” said Ross Ramsey, editor of Texas Weekly, a nonpartisan political journal. “A front-runner who stumbles can be overtaken, and a candidate who’s trying to catch up — or keep up — can regain ground. A big moment by either candidate will get played over and over until everybody knows about it.”
Tonight’s nationally televised session at the University of Texas is the only face-to-face encounter between Clinton and Obama before Texans go to the polls on March 4. The former first lady, a skilled debater dating to her time as captain of the Wellesley College debate team, has proposed weekly debates. But the Illinois senator, whose oratorical skills are showcased most effectively in stadium-sized events, has accepted only two debate invitations.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that she has to do very, very well in an arena that favors her, or her candidacy is going to be on the ropes,” said Harris County Democratic Chairman Gerald Birnberg.
When it comes to the Clinton machine it’s never a good idea to start writing their political obituary too early, but barring another questionable outburst from Michelle Obama it looks like Barack Obama pretty much has this locked up.
Democrats have made it clear that their only criteria for President is the ability to deliver soaring oratory (borrowed or otherwise).
After the primary is over and we get into the general election it will be interesting to see if Jesus Obama has any substance behind all the lofty speeches and inspirational rhetoric.
-Chris Jones
‘Which One?’ Romney Plays Defense as Huckabee Mocks Position Shifts
Hillary Clinton’s Heated Response During Debate
Demcrats Debating in Iowa This Very Minute…
Yesterday’s worst debate in history is continuing with Democrats right now. As it was for the Republicans, this is the last debate for the Dems before the Iowa Caucus.
Clinton Makes Comeback in Democratic Debate
Two weeks after a rocky presidential debate performance where Hillary appeared at times both defensive and evasive, the New York senator came into Thursday’s Democratic forum poised, confident and ready to rumble.
For the first time, she directly challenged the records of her top rivals, Barack Obama and John Edwards. She even chided Edwards, her fiercest critic in this debate and others, for “throwing mud” Republican-style.
Spectators inside the debate hall appeared to echo that criticism, repeatedly booing Edwards and occasionally Obama when they criticized Clinton.
And after days of torturous contortions on whether she supported granting driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, Clinton was able to stand by and watch as Obama was tripped up on the issue this time.
Clinton Coins New Phrase: “Politics of Pile-on”
Senator Hillary Clinton is firing back after she was made the punching bag at last night’s debate. I’m no Hillary fan, but I think the moderators of the debate came in with an agenda.
Tim Russert is an Obama fan and he was clearly trying to give him every advantage he could. It was the most biased debate I have ever seen.
In a cleverly edited debate video and in a campaign statement, the Clinton camp is decrying the criticism leveled against her Tuesday night as the “politics of pile-on.”
In the statement, the campaign also pointedly takes on Obama and Edwards.
“With each attack, Senators Obama and Edwards undermined the central premises of their candidacies,” the statement said. “The sunny speeches and rosy rhetoric that once characterized their remarks has now been replaced by the kinds of jabs one typically sees from candidates desperate to gain traction in the polls.”
-Chris Jones
Quotes From the Democratic Debate
Here are a few quotes from the Democratic Presidential Debate.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
_On Republican attacks: “In a perverse way, I think that the Republicans and their constant obsession with me demonstrate clearly that they obviously think that I am communicating effectively about what I will do as president. I am trying to do that because it matters greatly. We’ve got to turn the page on George Bush and Dick Cheney. In fact, we have to throw the whole book away. This has been a disastrous period in American history, and we hope it will be an aberration.”
_On Iran: “I believe we should be engaged in diplomacy right now with the Iranians. Everything should be on the table, not just their nuclear program. I’ve been advocating this for several years. I believe it strongly. But I also think when you go to the table to negotiate with an adversarial regime, you need both carrots and sticks. The Revolutionary Guard is deeply involved in the commercial activities of Iran. Having those economic sanctions hanging over their heads gives our negotiators one of the set of sticks that we need to try to make progress in dealing with a very complicated situation.”
CHRIS DODD
_On the passage of a resolution designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group: “I believe that this issue is going to come back to haunt us. We all learned … back in 2002, that by voting for an authorization regarding Iraq, that despite the language of that resolution which called for diplomacy at the time, this administration used that resolution, obviously, to pursue a very aggressive action in Iraq. … What you didn’t learn back in ‘02, you should’ve learned by now.”
_On his support for decriminalizing marijuana: “We’re locking up too many people in our system here today. We’ve got mandatory minimum sentences, they are filling our jails with people that don’t belong there. My idea is to decriminalize this, reduce that problem here. We’ve gone from 800,000 to 2 million people in our penal institutions in this country. We’ve got to get a lot smarter about this issue than we are. And as president, I’d try and achieve that.”
JOHN EDWARDS
_On energy independence: “We need to ask Americans to be patriotic about something other than war. And I want to be the president who says to America, we’re in this together. We’re going to have to be willing to sacrifice. If we love this country enough, we’re going to have to conserve, in our homes, in our workplaces, and alter our behavior to make America what it’s capable of being.”
_On Hillary Rodham Clinton: “I think, that voters have to ask themselves is: Do you believe that the candidate who’s raised the most money from Washington lobbyists, Democrat or Republican, the candidate who’s raised the most money from the health industry, drug companies, health insurance companies, the candidate who’s raised the most money from the defense industry, Republican or Democrat—and the answer to all of those questions is: That’s Senator Clinton. Will she be the person who brings about the change in this country? You know, I believe in Santa Claus. I believe in the tooth fairy. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I really don’t.”
DENNIS KUCINICH
_”It is time that the United States government enforced and participated in fully the Nonproliferation Treaty, which calls for the abolition of all nuclear weapons. We must lead the way, and we must have a president who understands the danger of these nuclear weapons and have America lead the way among all nations towards nuclear abolition. When we do that, we will have the credibility to go to an Iran and any other nation that may have desires for nuclear power to say, Look, we want to take it in another direction.”
_”If we cut the Pentagon budget 15 percent, $75 billion will go into a universal pre-kindergarten program so our children ages 3, 4 and 5 will have access to full-time day care and more money would go into elementary and secondary education.”
BARACK OBAMA
_”There is no doubt that my background is not typical of a presidential candidate. I think everybody understands that. But that’s part of what is so powerful about America, is that it gives all of us the opportunity—a woman, a Latino, myself—the opportunity to run. … As we travel all across the country, we have received enormous support, in states where, frankly, there aren’t a lot of African- Americans, and there aren’t a lot of Obamas.”
_”Part of the reason that Republicans, I think, are obsessed with you, Hillary, is because that’s a fight they’re very comfortable having. It is the fight that we’ve been through since the ’90s. And part of the job of the next president is to break the gridlock and to get Democrats and independents and Republicans to start working together to solve these big problems like health care or climate change or energy. And what we don’t need is another eight years of bickering.”
McCain says he wants to shoot Bin Laden
Republican presidential candidate John McCain told workers of small weapons factory that he not only wants to catch Osama Bin Laden if elected, but said he “will shoot him with your products”.
“I will follow Osama Bin Laden to the gates of hell and I will shoot him with your products,” McCain said.
McCain always has a good line. Nice one Senator!
-Chris Jones
Boehner Calls on Democratic Rep. Stark to Retract Statement
From Drudge Report:
House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today issued the following statement regarding remarks made on the House floor by Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) during the debate on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP):
“Our troops in Iraq are fighting against al-Qaeda and other radical jihadists hellbent on killing the people we are sent here to represent. Congressman Stark’s statement dishonors not only the Commander-in-Chief, but the thousands of courageous men and women of America’s armed forces who believe in their mission and are putting their lives on the line for our freedom and security. Congressman Stark should retract his statement and apologize to the House, our Commander-in-Chief, and the families of our soldiers and commanders fighting terror overseas.”
During debate on the SCHIP children’s health care legislation today, Rep. Stark stated: “You don’t have money to fund the war or children. But you’re going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President’s amusement.”
It’s also worth mentioning that the vote to override the President’s veto on SCHIP was a complete FAILURE.
The GOP Debate Wrap-Up
Fred Thompson made his debate debut of the Republican presidential campaign on Tuesday, and said that while the economy is strong, the government is “spending money of future generations and those yet to be born.”
The former Tennessee senator and actor said, “We are spending money we don’t have,” but he advocated no changes to shift course.
Sen. John McCain said President Bush was right to veto a children’s health expansion bill, and he urged him to reject a multibillion- dollar public works measure as well.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said it was inexcusable that Michigan seemed locked in a “one-state recession,” and said the president should be open to suggestions from an auto industry that has shed hundreds of thousands of jobs in recent years.
He criticized Democratic Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm for raising taxes, and drew laughter when he said he was afraid she “was going to put a tax on this debate.”
Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani clashed over tax and spending cuts Tuesday, each saying he was more committed than the other as they vied for conservative support in a debate in the nation’s manufacturing heartland.
Romney said they were in agreement about tax cuts, then criticized Giuliani for having filed a court challenge to a law that gave President Clinton the right to veto spending items line by line. “I’m in favor of the line item veto,” he said, adding he exercised it 844 times while governor of Massachusetts.
Giuliani called the Line-Item Veto “unconstitutional” and said he took Clinton to the Supreme Court on that issue and won.
Romney also said that while mayor, Giuliani “fought to keep the commuter tax, which is a very substantial tax … on consumers coming into New York.”
‘I was a little nervous’ at debate: Obama
COLUMBIA, S.C. — White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), known for his soaring rhetoric, stumbled during the first Democratic debate Thursday at South Carolina State University. “Last night I was a little nervous,” Obama said at a rally in Charleston on Friday, where he filled the gym at Burke High School.
Constrained by a 60-second limit for replies that worked against Obama’s speaking style — a very long windup to the pitch — his tendency to generalize meant he did not directly answer some questions. Even when asked something noncontroversial, what he personally did to improve the environment, he said 3,000 campaign volunteers planted trees on Earth Day. With a prod from moderator Brian Williams, the NBC anchor, Obama added he’s “been working” to install energy efficient light bulbs at home. He sounded out of touch.
Some examples:
• Obama failed to cast himself as a forceful commander in chief.
Obama was asked how he would “change the U.S. military stance overseas” if two U.S. cities were attacked by al-Qaida. After a reference to the botched response to Hurricane Katrina, he said “review how we operate in the event of not only a natural disaster, but also a terrorist attack.”
Contrast that with the reply from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) — her best during the 90-minute debate. “Retaliate,” she said. “Focus on those who have attacked us and do everything we can to destroy them.”
Obama knew he blew it because a few minutes later he added “enemies” of the U.S. “have to be hunted down.”
• • Obama did not use an opening he had to reassure Jewish voters about Israel.
On Tuesday, Obama spoke to the National Jewish Democratic Council in Washington. “My commitment to you is unwavering,” he told them. Obama heavily courts wealthy Jewish donors and some have questions about his Muslim ties. His campaign produced a 29-page “American-Israeli Relationship Issue Packet” on his views that an Obama staff fund-raiser was handing out at the NJDC conference.
The Rezko connection
Asked at the debate to name America’s three most important allies, Obama said the European Union, NATO and Japan. He added Israel at Williams’ prodding, a lapse that could hurt him with Jewish voters. • • Obama’s debate claim that the Iraq war could end with “one signature” from President Bush or “16 votes,” referring only to the Senate, is wrong.
Bush’s expected veto of the Iraq War funding bill — with timelines for troop withdrawals, can only be overridden by supermajorities in the Senate and the House.
• • Referring to Monday’s Sun-Times story, Williams asked Obama about his “questionable ties” to slumlord Tony Rezko. Obama replied that while a state senator, “The first bill I ever passed was campaign finance reform legislation.” He’s wrong. It was not his first bill.
Sun-Times Springfield Bureau Chief Dave McKinney reports that as a chief co-sponsor, Obama played an important role in passing that legislation May 22, 1998. Obama’s first bill passed on his own in the state Senate required the state’s community colleges to publish a directory of students with vocational and technical skills. That bill passed the Senate unanimously on March 13, 1997, and was signed by former Gov. Jim Edgar on Aug. 22, 1997.
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