Commendations to CBS New's Bob Schieffer, for expertly moderating last Wednesday's presidential debate. Rather than follow the model of the other moderators, he decided to serve as more than a springboard for the candidates' talking points. He was tough on both candidates and used independent sources to back up the claims he made in his questioning. He asked questions that the candidates hadn't seen before, and the candid dialogue that followed was new and intriguing, which led to 68% of AOL.com poll respondents choosing Schieffer as the best of the four moderators.
Condemnations to Barack Obama, for continuing to use the race card to his advantage at the debate. John McCain brought up remarks by someone he calls "an American hero," Democratic Rep. John Lewis from Georgia that compared McCain's campaign to notorious segregationist George Wallace. Instead of repudiating the claims, Obama changed the subject. (Appealing to dishonesty, he cited unfounded reports that someone yelled "Kill him!" upon the mention of his name.) When prompted again by McCain, he went no further than saying the comments were "inappropriate." Refusal to condemn false allegations of racism is not the candor of a man who transcends race.
On the other hand, commendations to Obama for being absolutely ready when McCain shot out his most memorable zinger of the night: "If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago." The Illinois senator replied effortlessly, although , that if he gets Bush and McCain confused, it's because of their similar economic policies.
Condemnations to McCain for continuing to hypocritically play the low-spending angle. As Schieffer pointed out, citing an independent source, McCain along with his opponent would increase the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars if their policies were all enacted. He accuses Obama of "throwing money at the problem," but in many of his own proposals would do just that. The way I see it, McCain has two choices: stop talking about how he's going to take a hatchet to spending, or actually BE an advocate of low spending and renounce his support of big government programs like the "rescue package."
But in all fairness, commendations to McCain for his persistent references to "Joe the Plumber." He managed to cast doubt over Obama's tax plan and to frame him as a big government liberal. Miraculously, he made America realize that someone who earns $250,000/yr. isn't necessarily sitting on gold -plated toilets. McCain's theme culminated in what may dubbed as the flub of the year: "Senator Government."
Condemnations to Barack Obama, for continuing to use the race card to his advantage at the debate. John McCain brought up remarks by someone he calls "an American hero," Democratic Rep. John Lewis from Georgia that compared McCain's campaign to notorious segregationist George Wallace. Instead of repudiating the claims, Obama changed the subject. (Appealing to dishonesty, he cited unfounded reports that someone yelled "Kill him!" upon the mention of his name.) When prompted again by McCain, he went no further than saying the comments were "inappropriate." Refusal to condemn false allegations of racism is not the candor of a man who transcends race.
On the other hand, commendations to Obama for being absolutely ready when McCain shot out his most memorable zinger of the night: "If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago." The Illinois senator replied effortlessly, although , that if he gets Bush and McCain confused, it's because of their similar economic policies.
Condemnations to McCain for continuing to hypocritically play the low-spending angle. As Schieffer pointed out, citing an independent source, McCain along with his opponent would increase the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars if their policies were all enacted. He accuses Obama of "throwing money at the problem," but in many of his own proposals would do just that. The way I see it, McCain has two choices: stop talking about how he's going to take a hatchet to spending, or actually BE an advocate of low spending and renounce his support of big government programs like the "rescue package."
But in all fairness, commendations to McCain for his persistent references to "Joe the Plumber." He managed to cast doubt over Obama's tax plan and to frame him as a big government liberal. Miraculously, he made America realize that someone who earns $250,000/yr. isn't necessarily sitting on gold -plated toilets. McCain's theme culminated in what may dubbed as the flub of the year: "Senator Government."
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