The Reviews Are In: 'Polished,' 'Amazing,' 'Commander-in-Chief'

[wyldwolf]

NBC NEWS' CHUCK TODD -- HILLARY'S RESPONSE WAS A ‘COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF ANSWER': "Clinton is always focused on the general election when it comes to foreign policy questions. Her answer on who she would meet with in terms of controversial foreign leaders was an example of how she's having a better time selling experience than anyone else on that stage. That was a Commander-in-Chief answer. Obama's answer was fine but she found the hole in his answer (propaganda) and filled it brilliantly." (MSNBC's First Read, 7/23/07)

NBC NEWS' DOMENICO MONTANARO -- HILLARY 'USED THE PENTAGON LETTER TO HER ADVANTAGE': "Clinton again has used the Pentagon letter to her advantage. She is flexing her newly found anti-war muscles and the letter has been her Creatine -- so to speak." (MSNBC's First Read, 7/23/07)

HUFFINGTON POST'S JOHN NEFFINGER -- CLINTON ‘STRONG ENOUGH TO BE COMMANDER AND CHIEF': "The challenge for any woman candidate is to appear strong enough to be Commander in Chief. Hillary has thoroughly checked that box. You never hear the word "weak" used with her." (Huffington Post, 7/23/07)

HUFFINGTON POST'S JOHN NEFFINGER -- CLINTON ‘CLEARLY IN COMMAND OF THE ISSUE': "She's clearly in command of the issue. Very strong on the policy elements of this. It's interesting to hear her discuss military operations in that level of detail." (Huffington Post, 7/23/07)

WASHINGTON POST'S CHRIS CILLIZZA PRAISES CLINTON AS ‘STRONG AND STEADY': "Clinton is, well, Clinton. Strong and steady." (The Fix, 7/23/07)

WASHINGTON POST'S CHRIS CILLIZZA -- HILLARY'S ANSWER TO GENDER QUESTION ‘WAS POLISHED' (The Fix, 7/23/07)

ABC NEWS' RICK KLEIN -- HILLARY ANSWER ABOUT DIPLOMACY WAS THE STUFF OF ‘EXPERIENCE': "That was an interesting division between Obama and Clinton on whether the president should meet with the leaders of rogue nations. Obama's answer was strong, but Clinton's was the stuff of -- wait for it -- experience." (ABC News, 7/23/07)

ABC NEWS' RICK KLEIN -- 'CLINTON IS JUST AMAZING IN THIS FORMAT': "I'm sick of saying it myself, but Clinton is just amazing in this format. Really nice answer about why Congress isn't acting faster to end the war." (ABC News, 7/23/07)

ABC NEWS' RICK KLEIN -- HILLARY'S ANSWER ABOUT HER GENDER WAS 'CONCISE AND RIGHT-ON': "Experienced and strong leadership" -- there's the Clinton message. Like in previous debates, her answer was concise and right-on." (ABC News, 7/23/07)

MYDD.COM -- CLINTON'S SELF-IDENTIFICATION AS A ‘MODERN PROGRESSIVE' IS A ‘PRETTY GOOD ANSWER' (MyDD.com, 7/23/07)

When all is said and done, being president is about protecting the country. Through her comments on how to deal with hostile leaders like Kim Jong Il and Huge Chavez and what needs to be done to bring the troops home, Hillary showed that she has the strength and experience to deliver the change America wants starting on day one.

SURVEY USA POLL -- AMERICANS 'WENT IN THINKING HILLARY CLINTON WOULD MAKE THE BEST PRESIDENT...CAME OUT OF THE DEBATE EVEN MORE CONVINCED': "Americans who watched the YouTube Democratic Debate 7/23/07 on CNN went into the debate thinking Hillary Clinton would make the best President of the 8 Democrats on stage, and came out of the debate even more convinced, according to an exclusive SurveyUSA poll." The poll found Hillary won the debate by a large margin. (Survey USA, 7/23/07)

DES MOINES REGISTER'S YEPSEN -- HILLARY 'COOL AND COGENT': "She's cool and cogent and bears up well under discussions about her being a woman and what she wears. Male politicians, journalists and YouTubers who focus on that just help her rally support from other women." (DesMoines Register, 7/24/07)

DONNA BRAZILE -- HILLARY WAS 'SPECTACULAR...IN COMMAND OF THE FACTS': "I thought Senator Clinton had a great answer when she said when she said we must withdraw our troops safely, carefully and in an orderly fashion so I thought Senator Clinton not only gave a great answer to that question but overall her debate performance was spectacular. She was in command of the facts. She understood the issues." (CNN, 7/23/07)

TIME'S JOE KLEIN -- 'A GOOD NIGHT' FOR HILLARY, 'JUDICIOUS AND PRESIDENTIAL': "Hillary Clinton--a good night....Clinton's pointing out that the groundwork had to be done was, dare I say it, judicious and presidential..." (Time, 7/23/07)

ABC NEWS' THE NOTE -- ‘CLINTON PREVAILS AGAIN' (ABC News The Note, 7/24/07)

ANDREW SULLIVAN -- 'HILLARY WINS AGAIN...SHE DESTROYED THE OPPOSITION TONIGHT': "Her response to the dynastic question - a difficult one - was the first time she has ever brought a smile to my lips...You know how much I hate to say this: but she destroyed the opposition tonight: out-classing it, out-debating it, and avoiding the usual pitfalls. I wish it weren't so, but it's what I saw. If she keeps this up, it's hers." (Andrew Sullivan, 7/23/07)

MICHAEL CROWLEY'S NEW REPUBLIC -- 'BOTTOM LINE: GREAT NIGHT FOR HILLARY': But the one who stood out was Hillary. She shows really impressive poise and confidence, and didn't lose her stride even in the face of offbeat questions about her gender and voter fatigue with the Clinton and Bush families...Bottom line: Great night for Hillary. (New Republic, 7/23/07)

BILL PRESS -- HILLARY WINS: "Forceful, in charge, good sense of humor." (CNN Scorecard, 7/24/07)

CNN'S BILL SCHNEIDER -- HILLARY WINS: "Clinton had a very strong performance." (CNN Scorecard, 7/24/07)

WASHINGTON POST -- HILLARY SOUNDED 'AS SHARP AS SHE HAS IN ANY OF THE PAST FOUR GATHERINGS: "Sounding as sharp as she has in any of the past four gatherings of the candidates, eagerly joined an exchange over immediately withdrawing troops from Iraq. She repeated her promise to end the war, adding: "But we want to do so safely and orderly and carefully." (Washington Post, 7/24/07)

CHICAGO SUN TIMES' LYNN SWEET -- HILLARY 'HANDLED EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE WITH CALM CONFIDENCE. SHE EXUDED STRENGTH AND HUMOR: As in previous debates and forums, Clinton deftly handled everything and everyone with calm confidence. She exuded strength and humor. She made no mistakes. (Sun Times, 7/24/07)

WASHINGTON TIMES -- HILLARY WAS 'CONVERSATIONAL...GOT BIG CHEERS': "Mrs. Clinton was quick to note each questioner's name and seemed conversational in her answers. She got big cheers in response to a question about whether her election would represent the change voters want because it would mean 24 consecutive years of presidents named either Bush or Clinton. 'Well, I think it is a problem that Bush was elected in 2000,' she said."(Washington Times, 7/24/07)

[Alamom]

1. Thanks for posting.

I thought there would be a little press on how she did. :)

[Egnever]

2. Yes they sure are trying to stuff her down our throats arent they?

I still aint buying.

[LibDemAlways]

3. You've got that right. The media whores are

doing everything in their power to secure the nom for Hillary so they can tear her to shreds once she has it.

[Cosmocat]

26. We have a winner ...

that is the play that has been called ...

She gets the nomination, and it will be ALL "we can't have 28 years of the same family" ALL the time, like 1) they are the same family 2) the family that actually did/will do the job right should be held accountable for the family that was a disaster ...

[LibDemAlways]

34. They are quietly gathering up whatever ammunition they can

find or fabricate to unleash before her acceptance speech at the convention is over. The truth never got in the way of the rightwing Clinton haters when Bill was in office, and they will be working overtime to destroy Hillary's candidacy - but first they have to make sure she gets the nod. Thus, all the glowing praise - for now.

It would be interesting to bookmark this thread and revisit it if and when she's the nominee. I would be willing to bet big money few of those quoted above will have anything good to say about her then.

[Bitwit1234]

11. Your decision. At least we still have free choice.

[MLFerrell]

20. A Hobson's choice is, by definition, no choice at all.

"You can have a Model-T of any color, as long as that color is black."

I say, "You can have an allegedly 'viable' political candidate of any ideology, as long as that candidate is a dishonest, dedicated whore to corporate interests."

Not much difference between those two propositions... And I'd say that the latter accurately describes the media's anointing process of 'political viability', or as many call it 'electability'.

We the people should be the ones to decide who is the best man or woman for the job, free of the poisonous dictates of the media regarding who is or isn't 'electable'.

[Writer]

27. No one is trying to stuff anything down your throat.

These are just positive comments. Believe me, much, much more is said every day in political coverage.

[BeyondGeography]

4. Indeed, the reviews are in

Ordinary Gal #1:

"I think Obama came across as very trustworthy and I think that's what the American people need. I think we need a President that we can stand behind and that we can trust."

Question to Ordinary People:

Q: Which candidate looked like they understood people's concerns?

Group Answer: Obama.

Ordinary Guy #1:

"It seems to me that Hillary is running for Hillary, but Barack Obama is running for the people. That's what I heard tonight."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6QhMV0MbUU

[question everything]

5. There is no doubt that Clinton is the best debatar

This does not mean that she is the best candidate, or would be the a good President - though she may.

In contrast to Gore and Kerry and now Obama - all thinking people - who like to express themselves in complete paragraphs - she has mastered the art of short and to the point answers.

[Maat]

7. Yes, she knows how to spew the talking points.

She's still not my candidate, however. It just seemed as if she was spouting talking points, and genuinely moving towards the progressive (leftward) change that I was to see. Kucinich is the my candidate; I don't care "how small his chances (allegedly) are."

[wyldwolf]

8. ...and the others stumble their way throught them.

[Maat]

14. It's disheartening, isn't it? (n/t)

[question everything]

9. But if she is the nominee

you will vote for her, right?

Just remember that the long term future of the Supreme Court is at stake. And passing the Iraq timetable and support for stem cells research - that have been vetoed by Bush.

[Maat]

13. Yes, I will hold my nose, and do so! (n/t)

[Maat]

17. Correct that to "and NOT genuinely moving ..."

as to my original comment.

[CTyankee]

12. I also think she has learned from past campaigns what NOT to do.

That was a great answer to the dynasty question because it really begs the question about whether the Clintons want a "dynasty." If Gore had won, we wouldn't be saying "dynasty" since I really believe he would have done things differently from Bill Clinton, better on the environment, not prone to Monica type of disasters, very liberal on the Supreme Court nominees (altho you can't get much better than Ruth Bader Ginsburg in my book), great on women's issues (altho he was an early flip-flopper on abortion rights).

So unless you don't believe her when she says that electing (?) Bush in 2000 was not a good thing, which is probably unsupportable by any evidence, OR unless you believe Gore would have been a carbon copy of Clinton, again I think that can be effectively disputed, well then you can't apply the "dynasty" label, can you?

[question everything]

29. Right. And just as we should not hold it against her or Obama

or Richardson for being a woman, an African American or of Hispanic origin, one should not hold it against her - now - for being a Clinton.

In contrast to Bush who was picked by the powers that be in the GOP because he was a Bush, Clinton has proven herself as an effective Senator. Like her or not, she has established her own credentials. Sure, it helped her getting to the Senate in the first place, but once there, she worked hard and established her own person.

[CTyankee]

30. Not only that, Bill Clinton had to work hard for everything he got.

His family was not rich at all and I think he had to get a scholarship for college and law school. Both Georgetown and esp. Yale Law School are extremely difficult to get into, much less a scholarship.

So I think this dynasty stuff is a little overboard. While I don't think one or two families should be in power for a very long time, I don't think you can compare the Bush's and the Clinton's. The BUsh's ARE a dynasty. Sort of like the Kennedy's. And they weren't great by any measure!

Bill and Hillary have been both brainy and ambitious, not brainless and clueless like W. I think having Hillary and President will be a breath of fresh air...

[William769]

6. Thanks for posting this. K&R!

Looks like I'm going to to go out and buy more cheese for you know who.

[Bitwit1234]

10. The sad thing about this is Hillary has to be three times better than a man

Obama, at a disadvantage because of his race, still does not have to overcome Hillary's disadvantage. And we boast of being such a progressive nation, such freedom, such a seat of democracy. BUT we are the only country in the whole world that does not give women a chance to achieve in politics. Even India has now elected a woman to high office.

[jgraz]

15. Cool! I nominate her for White House Spokesperson

...in the Edwards Administration.

[Canuckistanian]

21. LOL

C'mon, I think she at least deserves Chief of Staff!

[realbluesky]

16. Is this really the people's choice or the media's?

MSM is forcing Hillary down America's throat.
They want her because she makes good copy.
Hillary will lose the general election.

[Broke Dad]

19. Politico says otherwise

To all of you Hillary supporters: Get ready for a thumpin' from the people. We don't have the millions of dollars that Hillary's friends do. We don't have Hollywood connections . . . and we don't have Bill. But we have had enough. We have had enough of the Clinton wars, the Bush wars, shoot first and ask questions later, high and higher medical bills, high and higher and outrageous gasoline prices, insurance scams, retirement scams, leveraged buyouts and Chinese tainted food, NAFTA, GATT, off shoring, stagnant wages, tax cuts for the wealthy, losing ground since 1981. Bill and Hillary Clinton were and are part of the problem, NOT part of the solution.

John Edwards has hit a nerve. He is giving a voice to those of us who are struggling to put food on the table, pay the bills, and buy gas for our car. And looking over our shoulder all the while.

The people are going to clean house. And when we do, Hillary is going to be part of the dust, not part of the broom!

[Warren DeMontague]

24. Edwards hit a nerve, alright, with his comments against equal rights for our gay & lesbian citizens.

Screw it. I might have voted for the guy, but he's lost me with his bullshit 'faith-based' pandering. He should listen to his wife--- she gets it.

The way things stand now, If Al Gore doesn't get in, I'm voting for Kooch.

I think ALL the "big 3" pre-ordained candidates are going to be in for a surprise, not just Hillary.

[Canuckistanian]

22. You think they're setting her up for the fall?

I wouldn't be surprised. The anti-Hillary propaganda machine has been fairly quiet lately.

I think the GOP oppo research teams are loading their weapons right now, just waiting....

[Cosmocat]

28. Oh ...

they will just break out all the usual stuff ...

Fact is, we just went through a miniblitz of "conservative" hitjob books on her in June, and it really didn't seem to knock her down ... I do agree STRONGLY that this is the fight the republicans WANT, and the MSM is carrying out the orders of making her democratic nomination inevitable in preparation for killing her in the general ...

I know the "poll" numbers aren't good right now with her "negatives" ... But, I would not bet against her ... She IS the best machined candidate, and has been HAMMERED by the right for a decade and a half ... There isn't anything they can do or say about her that hasn't been done or said to her already ... And, I think she has a REAL nasty streak of wanting to get elected just to get back at the MFers ...

It WILL be a complete and total bloodbath if she is the nominee, and they will do EVERYTHING they can to take her down, but ...

[Canuckistanian]

35. It'll be a fight to watch, that's for sure

I've got to admit, I have no clue why they hate her so much.

They never mention specifics, just that she's "so far to the left" (which is ridiculous).

I just chalk it up to their fear of powerful women in general.

[Forkboy]

18. But enough about Harrison Ford in Air Force One....

:yoiks:

[Warren DeMontague]

23. Well, I guess we know who the Corporate Media wants as our nominee, huh?

Oh, wait. We already knew that.

[Blue_In_AK]

25. Whatever...

If the corporate media loves her, she must be the best. :sarcasm:

[illinoisprogressive]

31. only the inside the beltwayers. the people and focus groups picked Obama

the msm and establishement picked hillary but, the people and all the focus groups overwhelmingly picked Obama

[wyldwolf]

32. How far inside the beltway is Nevada???

The CNN coverage showed the complexities within the Democratic party by focus groups of its own - notably in Nevada and New Hampshire. The group in New Hampshire seemed small and either mostly or all white. The top three winners according to that group were Obama, Biden, and Sen. John Edwards. However, in the Nevada group, which was larger and somewhat more ethnically diverse, Richardson and Clinton tied for first place, followed by Obama and Edwards.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-michel/debate-night-coverage-cn_b_57536.html

[ElizabethDC]

33. That would be nice for you if that were true

but a) it would be nice if you had some links and b)a flash poll of "the people," as you call them, shows that people "picked" Hillary. (link: http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=64f6e1dd-d718-4f17-b6b9-ea197e7b1111) Was there even more than one focus group that "picked" Obama? This one said Edwards won, for example: http://www.messagejury.com/2007/07/24/very-much-an-edwards-night)

As is often the case, you're big on claims and short on facts to back them up.