Hillary Clinton entered Thursday's Democratic debate in a tight battle for first place. She left in danger of finishing third in the Iowa caucus. Yikes. It's not because she had a particularly bad debate. It's just that Barack Obama was far better and John Edwards was slightly better.
If their performances are an omen for the caucus results on Jan. 3, Clinton could lose the nomination she seemed to have locked up two months ago. Iowa's outsize importance had to be on Clinton's mind, along with mistakes in her campaign, and she came ready to battle. She was focused and leaned into her answers with confidence. She knew exactly what she wanted to say - perhaps to a fault.
Edwards stuck like glue to his message, that big corporations are bad, bad, bad. I find it tiresome, but it's a clear position that distinguishes him, and he sold it well.
Obama was just consistently better. Although he missed some chances to hammer his theme that real change can't come from Washington insiders, there was a human, personal quality to many of his answers.
The best was when, asked about a new year's resolution, he said he needed to keep reminding himself that "this is not about me."
He cited the stress on his family life, saying he took two hours off to get a Christmas tree with his daughters Wednesday, then ended with an unusual resolution for a politician - "not to be timid, not to be distracted by the fear of losing."
It was touching without being maudlin. And he was tough, too, winning the only real back-and-forth with Clinton by delivering a deft putdown that deflated her gloating cackle.
The sequence began when Obama was asked how he could be the real agent of change when so many of his top advisers came from Bill Clinton's administration. Hillary burst out laughing saying, "I want to hear that." After only the slightest pause, Obama looked across the stage at her and shot back, "Hillary, I'm looking forward to you advising me as well." Eureka!
He also provided the most moving moment, defending Sen. Joe Biden, who had been asked about some insensitive racial statements. Obama, acknowledging his role as the only black person on the stage without saying it, lauded Biden's civil rights record, saying, "I'm offering some testimony, as they say in church."
Very good stuff, and he didn't even need Oprah.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2007/12/14/2007-12-14_hillary_clinton_crumbling_after_cruising.html
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
