Dems Debate

Just concluded watching the Democratic Candidates Debate from SC State.

Folks who definitely looked presidential (and this is mostly what you get from short answer events like this one) included Clinton, Obama, Dodd, Edwards, maybe Biden.

Not yet: Richardson.

Not: Kucinich.

Really, really not: Gravel.

Best moment: Brian Williams mentioned to Senator Biden that he'd been referred to as a "gaffe machine" (or something to that effect), and asked if he could assure the American people that he would have the restraint needed for diplomacy on the world stage. Answer: "Yes."

After 5-7 seconds of silence, Williams went on to his next question.

2nd best moment: When Obama told Kucinich "Let me finish" and stopped the interruptions wherein Kucinich was trying to make his point yet again about the Iraq war.

Most reassuring moment: Gravel promises not to launch a unilateral nuclear war. I feel better, now.

Summary (points made strongly or over and over...):
1. Votes for Iraq war = mistake. (OK, so what happens when we pull our soldiers out on January 20, 2009, as several suggested?)
2. "Abortion should be safe, legal, rare..." However, no one addressed that the specific procedure banned by SCOTUS is certainly not one that most women would "choose" to end a pregnancy if it were fully explained to them. No one "leaving the reservation" on this topic tonight.
3. The Confederate flag belongs in a museum.
4. Paying for $400 haircuts from campaign = mistake.
5. Hillary Clinton was the Senator from New York on 9-11.
6. Westerners likes them some guns.
7. Mentally ill people shouldn't shoot up colleges (actually, without reading a transcript, I'm not sure anyone really answered the gun control question with respect to massacres.)
8. Stubbornness is not a good foreign policy.
9. John Edwards was the son of a poor mill worker (poor = impoverished, not inept.)
10. Gravel is afraid of several folks who were on the panel tonight -- didn't specify whom, though.

What was needed was a 2nd moderator/questioner who could say things like "non-responsive, move to strike" or "answer the question, already" or the other comments heard here in the House of Chez Casa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'll poke around later to see what the chattering classes and talking heads thought...Izzy turned away from the commentary to "The Office." Great ending with Dwight impersonating Jim.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update: When asked which Candidates he was afraid of (or concerned about??) Gravel answered: "the first tier ones." Biden raised his hand, I assume to be sure he was included in that group. Great moment.