Obama, Post-Debate, Decries "Gotcha Games"
For Obama, the debate provided a fresh illustration of one of his underlying campaign themes, that Washington had lost touch with the rest of the country. "Washington hasn't gotten the news yet that people want something different," the candidate told the Raleigh crowd. "Last night we set a new record. It took us 45 minutes ... before we heard about health care. Forty-five minutes before we heard about Iraq. Forty-five minutes before we heard about jobs. That's how Washington is," Obama said.
It's a town of "gotcha games," "anything goes," and "slash-and-burn politics," and Obama added, "Sen. Clinton looked in her element" on the ABC stage last night, as Obama grappled with questions about why he doesn't wear a flag pin his on his lapel, the Wright scandal redux, and Obama's relationship with Ayers, a prominent Chicago resident who had been a member of the radical '60s terrorist group the Weathermen.
Barack seems to be saying that if you don't like the message, kill the messenger.
On the debate
Stephanopoulos strongly defended his handling of the debate. He dismissed criticism that it had focused too heavily on "gotcha" questions, arguing that they had gone to the heart of the "electability" that, he said, is forefront in the minds of voters evaluating the two Dems.
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Asked why the moderators had chosen to spend time on Wright, when Obama has repeatedly responded to questions about him, Stephanopoulos defended it by saying that Wright's most incendiary comments had come to light, and Obama's speech in response, had both come after the previous debate.
Obama wants to be haloed as a "new" type of president and gets petulant when people and reporters don't know when to curtsy and bow. No doubt he'll demand ring kissing if he gets the
Hey, Barack baby, politics is and has always been a contact sport. Grow up and stop acting like a ten year old who demands, as his right, ice cream for breakfast. It's childish and demeaning.
