I know this might be shocking to some, but in the day of $4/ gallon gas, recession, 2 wars, unbelievable federal deficit, major health care crisis, not to mention global warming, decaying infrastructure....I don't give a rat's arse about aging 60's radicals, who wears a flag pin and bittergate. I really don't. And if the GOP thinks that they're gonna win my vote by using these as "real issues" they've got a surprise waiting for them in november.

George S and Charlie G might be in so much of a bubble that they don't realize the frustration and anger that most Amercians are feeling right now, but I suspect they're gonna get a whiff of it soon.

I don't care who you support. Electing a President of the United States is more important that ranting preachers and flag pins. And if the American people can't treat it as such, then we really deserve to become a second class nation own in whole by China and Saudi Arabia.

Posted by: tessla at April 17, 2008 2:16 PM

Obama did great, despite the obvious attempts of the moderators to continue to bring up tabloid issues and obvious attempts by HRC to keep the issues alive. Just as Hillary said, she has a lot of baggage, why didn’t we talk about that too? Agreed 6-2! Trust me, the Republicans will certainly bring up "hillary's baggage"- lies told and questionable actions by all of the Clintons. And just how old is Hillary anyway? She has been doing this for 35 years, really??

I almost turned the TV off because who wants to hear a debate that re-hashes what the news channels have picked to death over the last number of weeks. I wanted to hear issues!! I wanted to hear HOW the candidates were going to keep thier promises... how they were going to change the economy, make gas and utilities more affordable, get troops out of Iraq, etc. When will we have a debate that asks... HOW will you do that and not WHAT will you do? If people think Barack isn't knowledgeable then why do they resort to attacking him instead of asking him!!!

Obama continued to point out that “we should be talking about the economy, $4 gas, my shrinking salary and rising costs, recession, Iraq, etc." and not all the side stuff with no relevance.

It was an obvious attack on Barack and I am appalled. Not that he can’t take the heat, he has been taking it for weeks and STILL pulling ahead. And yes, WHERE was Hillary’s flag pin or anyone elses for that matter.

Barack hit the nail on the head when he said “there will always be something for the media… if not one thing another.”

When Hillary talked, it sounded like “story time” at the library… “well, back in my day… and we did this and I did that…” all the while pausing and moving her head and talking slow like she was trying to entice me into her words with tone... or maybe she was being elist and talking down to me like I am stupid and if she doesn't talk slow I won't understand! I can sure say her speaking pace picked up quickly when Bosnia sniper fire came up. Pretty sure Barack felt like he was under sniper fire last night.

It was a sad night for politics, the media and the democratic party. I was a Republican, voting Democratic for the first time because of Barack and his ability to "fight the norm" in this campaign. I have had enough of the norm and unfortunately, change isn't easy and people don't like it. The constant "Barack Bashing" is proof Barack is real and for real change, otherwise the "powers of norm" wouldn't be fighting him so vindictively.

Obama 08 or bust...

Posted by: CAC at April 17, 2008 2:38 PM

If you look back at the previous debates, it is evident that Senator Obama did have a long honeymoon with the media, including debate moderators.

The increasing criticism of this bias is what in part led the latest duo of moderators to ask Senator Obama the questions that have been looming on the net.

It was interesting how rattled he seemed by the process and how unprepared he was to answer directly and confidently. Instead he took cheap shots at Senator Clinton, from the cookie comment to bringing up Bill and Presidential Pardons. On the one hand he doesn't want to give her any credit for the good that came from her husband's administration but insists on saddling her with any of the bad.

He did not do himself any favors in this debate.

Posted by: Evelyn at April 17, 2008 3:25 PM

Obama spells doom for this country. Not only because of his dubious affiliations with mob members like Rezko and criminals like Auchi, but because of his lack of experience and bias education especially his bizarre religious affiliations. He is like silly putty; able to change his ideas for the public as needed so as to achieve his goal as supreme leader.

His intentions are unclear, but his affiliations are clear. Being surrounded with people like the violent Ayers, or the Hiteresque Wright, or his American hating wife Michelle, or his Kenyan half brother Islamic Jihad terrorist Abongo “Roy” Obama, or his Jewish/Israeli hating best friend Rashid Khalidi, or his close advisor Robert Malley who advocates supporting and helping the terrorist group Hamas, or Mr. McPeaks, Obama’s military advisor who open believes American Jews are the "problem." and “Christian Zionists were driving America's policy in Iraq to benefit Israel,” or Obama’s super delegate and major long term supporter Senator Meeks who openly hates and distrust all whites and gays or Obama’s most dangerous affiliation to Mr. Auchi who was Saddam Hussein right hand man and made billions in Iraq and has been a important supporter and behind the scene man throughout Obama’s rise to power.

And besides all this questionable laundry in Obama’s life, another serious question is why is Obama protected and promoted by the media? Is this also being directed from behind the scenes? The American public has been fooled before and I guess those in power know we can be fooled again. (Kennedy’s assassination, Martin Luther King’s assassination, the invasion of Iraq…).

The fact that Obama has made it this far demonstrates the collective lack of discriminative intelligence and education of this country. And nothing demonstrates this better than how well Obama plays his black card; which plays on our fear of being labeled a racist.

By the way, skin pigmentation regulates vitamin D absorption.

Posted by: Carlie Stearn at April 17, 2008 4:34 PM

Hillary Clinton is far and away the best-qualified candidate for the democratic nomination, and I deplore the cheap shots that she is constantly forced to contend with.

I think Mr. Obama is a good man, and could be a good President later in his life, after acquiring more experience and maturity. Mrs. Clinton has the experience now, however, and I am shocked that more members of the democratic inner circle are not supporting her. The fact that some former member(s) of President Clinton's cabinet are supporting Mr. Obama speaks more to their lack of integrity and ethics than it does anything else.

I do think that Mr. Obama has some rather shady people in his inner circle, and he should roundly accept efforts to have these associates vetted by the public process, instead of criticizing our efforts to do so. The Clintons don't have any skeletons in their closet -- all of their mummies have been unearthed, rewrapped, and buried forever through years and years of public disclosure. Mr. Obama's reactions when we try to do the same with his background is troubling, to say the least.

I want to know who my President knows, has done business with, has received support from, and who they associate with on a day to day basis. There is a saying, "You are who you associate with", and I think full public disclosure with regard to Mr. Obama's past and current associations should be a top priority of the media, the public, and this campaign season.

Posted by: Susan Spanos at April 18, 2008 10:52 AM

Operation Chaos is unfair, unethical and dangerous
Our election system is too vital to be jeopardized by talk show hosts looking to prolong the democratic primary season.
Operation Chaos is urging non democrats to trespass into the democratic primaries and offset the choice of bona fide voters. Tampering with the vote is tampering with democracy.
[link]http://www.springfieldmedia.com/services.html[link]

Posted by: Democracy at April 20, 2008 10:37 AM

Facts are a stubborn thing. Obama cannot close his 20 year old relationship with Wright because there is so much video evidence against it. On the TV program THE VIEW, Obama declared that Reverend Wright accepted that his view were inappropriate and mischaracterized. That it had offended many people. Then weeks later Wright goes on a national Hate America Press Tour? This was a blatant lie. Or worse, Obama was fooled by Wright which is kind of scary. That a possible next president can be played by a character such as Wright. Check the video evidence yourselves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6J7yJ9R5p0

Posted by: Leanza Cornett at May 1, 2008 2:05 PM