Another Democratic Debate

Yet another Democratic debate (or "forum", if you will) was held tonight. Keith Olbermann moderated what was a moderately informative affair. A couple things I noticed:

* please, for the love of anything, somebody get Obama to be more direct and to the point when he's answering questions. During the youtube debate, he seemed to be making progress. This one, however, he regressed badly during the first few questions asked to him. This will be his one fatal flaw against Hillary. Hillary is so insanely polished when it comes to speaking in clear, decisive ways and Bill has obviously coached her how to turn every issue back into an appeal to the voters that Obama needs to do something immediately, else he stands no chance. If Obama had Biden's delivery, with Kucinich's bluntness and clarity on the issues, Hillary would actually have something to worry about.

* Hillary will win the presidency next year. Believe me, I'm not totally on board with a Hillary presidency for a number of reasons, but I don't see how any of the Republican candidates would be able to challenge her in a debate. Love her or hate her, she can definitely hold her own against strong men in 90 second answers.

* Joe Biden needs to get out right now. 15,000 union members booed him nearly off stage when a union member asked him a question and he totally blew off answering him. Instead, he decided to answer a question posed to a candidate before him that had nothing to do with the question he was asked.

* Obama not answering the Barry Bonds question was stupid. I'll answer it for you: "No."

* Did anyone else notice that John Edwards wasn't asked a question for nearly 25 minutes? When Dodd, Hillary, and Obama had their big "Pakistan" scuffle (the only real highlight of the night other than the completely sympathetic 70 year old union member on crutches who cried when asking a question about why he was laid off and is now unable to pay for his wife's medical bills. It's time for universal health care.), Edwards wasn't asked anything about it. The media has written him off, as has most of the country for that matter.

* Dear Barack, next time one of the challengers questions your opinion on taking action in Pakistan, don't go nuanced on them, because they aren't the ones who will be voting you into office. Instead, say this: "If I get intelligence that says Al-Qaeda operatives are in Pakistan and Musharraf won't do anything about it, then I will take them out myself. Period. End of story. Next question, please." Short, sweet, and to the point.

* To all of the Democratic candidates: China is not "a competitor". They are an enemy. Olbermann asked all the candidates whether they felt China was a friend or an adversary. Every candidate dodged the question by saying they are a "competitor". Bullshit. These guys have a plan. I've said for years that they are the threat. I'm willing to concede that maybe the candidates just don't want to go on record as saying China (which is a tiny bit more important than say, oh, Pakistan) is an enemy. But still, I would certainly hope that they don't really believe what their public rhetoric implies. More on China in a minute.

* It's time for Richardson, Biden, Kucinich (guy is great, but he's got no shot in this race), and Dodd to step away. I'm sick of seeing Dodd getting questions I want Obama or Hillary to answer.

* There's been some media publicity about the "icy" relationship between Obama and Hillary. When the debate was over, they barely made any eye contact and said "thanks" and moved on. Maybe that Hillary/Obama ticket ain't as surefire a thing as many think...

In closing, it was a lame debate with only two really knockout sequences. Trim the field down or people are going to tire of this even more than they already are.

In other news, I clicked over to Drudge awhile ago and found this. I've been saying for years that our enemy is not terrorism, but China. Islamic radicals are barely a blip on the problem chart of what's going to happen in the next 20 years. China, as well as Russia, should be the number one priority of concern for the next Administration.

Though I'm pegged as some far left radical liberal (which isn't true in the slightest), I completely support increasing defense spending, bulking up the military, and developing new weapons. I also believe that we should invest in a missile defense shield for this country, no matter what the cost. Democrats who believe that we should junk any type of missile defense shield, whether it be land or space based, are dead wrong on the issue. Wow, a liberal for strong defense spending, optional universal health care, and a balanced budget. Look how radical I am! :)

Breaking news, Barry Bonds just passed Hank Aaron. Obama, the answer is "No."

By the way, the big news this past weekend is Hillary's 20 point lead in national polls over Obama. These mean absolutely nothing right now. Anybody remember Howard Dean? The only polls that really matter are Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. If Obama can pull out 2 of 3, he'll become the frontrunner. Supporters can calm down, stop overreacting. It's still an uphill battle, but don't take a huge stock in national polls right now. Here's an article defending Obama's recent Pakistani remarks.

P.S. The United Nations says it's gettin' hot out there.