Obama and Clinton on defensive in tense debate

[jefferson_dem]

Source: Reuters

Obama and Clinton on defensive in tense debate
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Democratic presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tried to explain recent controversial remarks during a tense debate on Wednesday, with Obama accusing Clinton of taking political advantage of his characterization of small-town residents.

In their first debate in seven weeks, Obama said he mangled his description of the mood in economically struggling small towns and Clinton apologized for the first time for inaccurately saying she came under sniper fire in Bosnia in 1996.

The debate, which featured few heated confrontations but plenty of probing and positioning, seemed unlikely to dramatically alter the race six days before the next Democratic showdown in Pennsylvania.

Obama has been under heavy criticism from Clinton and Republican John McCain, who have called him elitist and out of touch for saying small-town residents were clinging to religion and guns in bitterness over their economic troubles.

"The problem that we have in our politics, which is fairly typical, is that you take one person's statement, if it's not properly phrased, and you just beat it to death, and that's what Senator Clinton's been doing," Obama said in the debate in downtown Philadelphia.

Clinton, who has eased off her public criticism of Obama over the remarks in the past two days but launched a television ad in Pennsylvania assailing them, said they were "a fundamental misunderstanding of religion and faith."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080417/pl_nm/usa_politics_dc_5

[Sadie5]

1. BO was short on answers on the issues

In fact, I don't see how he surged when he really didn't fully answer any questions. Oh, but, he did do a bunch of whining.

[badgervan]

2. ABC = Faux "news"

What a terribly irresponsible and petty line of questioning in this ABC "debate". Nothing of consequence; plenty of tabloid style crap. I could have sworn that Faux was hosting this hack job on Obama.
The more the establishment trashes Obama, the better he looks to many of us. The more the Clintons use every underhanded method in the book to steal what they somehow think is theirs by some crazy devine right, the less their chances are of obtaining the necessary votes to pull it off.
I want smarts, decency, honesty and integrity in a Dem candidate. Hillary has the smarts... Obama has 'em all.

[LiberalLovinLug]

3. Total Tabloid TV

Especially in the first half. I wish Ms. Clinton would fight Obama like she did in the last half of the debate. She may never had lost my vote if she had just stuck with explaining her positions like she did in the last half, instead of wallowing in the manufactured sleaze with the MSM hosts. If she had just told the hosts, "I'm sorry I would rather talk about my healthcare plan, or my Iraq plan, than make hay out of a manufactured overblown tabloid scandal" But each time she was given the opportunity, she bit. And chewed and spit

It's sad really. She actually impressed me tonight with her intelligence on the issues, but she continues to shoot herself in the foot, in spite of her daddy's rifle lessons, with her pandering to the gutter at every opportunity. If she would have fought positively she might be ahead right now.

[Born Free]

4. I changed my opinion on Ms Clinton as well

At first I would have liked her as the nominee, but these days she turns my stomach as much as Joe Lieberman, she has gotten so low I hope Barack does not even choose her as a running mate - let New York have her. Ms Clinton is not half the politician as her husband, and i think many more people are sadly recognizing that voting for her is not the same as voting for Bill Clinton again. Heck, even Bill seems off his game these days, no they are better left for memories, the more they hang on the less people will think highly of the Clinto days in the White House.

[qanda]

5. I think you're right

The longer Hillary goes on, the more she hurts Bill's legacy.