The Philly phallout
Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2008 9:03 AM by Domenico Montanaro
The New York Times: “Clinton did not let an opportunity pass as she repeatedly challenged Mr. Obama on his record and views -- assisted, as it turned out, by vigorous questioning by the two moderators from ABC News, Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous. The result was arguably one of Mr. Obama’s weakest debate performances. He at times appeared annoyed as he sought to answer questions about his former pastor, his reluctance to wear an American flag pin on his lapel and his association in Chicago with former members of the Weather Underground, a radical group that carried out bombings in the 1960s that were intended to incite the overthrow of the government.”
The Washington Post adds, "The encounter, particularly in the early stages, seemed more like a grilling of Obama on a Sunday-morning talk show than a debate between the two candidates. Obama fielded most of the questions calmly, although at times he appeared to choose his words with extreme care as he faced perhaps the toughest series of questions he has encountered since taking the lead in delegates in the nomination battle."
The Los Angeles Times: "With the moderators and Clinton raising assorted questions about Obama's past for the first half of the debate, issues received relatively short shrift. Not until 50 minutes in was a policy issue -- Iraq -- asked about by the moderators. More than an hour went by before a question was asked about what Stephanopoulos called ‘the No. 1 issue on Americans' minds’ -- the economy."
The Boston Globe: “Clinton, seeking momentum in the dwindling weeks of the primary campaign, accused Obama of associating with controversial figures, including his own former preacher. Though she called Obama a ‘good man’ and said, after some prodding, that he could win the White House, Clinton said he would have many liabilities in the fall campaign.”
The Boston Globe's Canellos: "The first half of last night's debate in the august National Constitution Center in Philadelphia was a tawdry affair, as ABC news questioners called on Obama and Clinton to address a year's worth of dirty laundry, and each combatant eagerly grabbed at the chance to besmirch their rival a little more. But while some in the audience groaned, the litany of nasty questions -- about such matters as Obama's comments on the working class and Clinton's exaggerations about dangers she faced in Bosnia -- helped to flesh out a long-simmering subtext to the Clinton-Obama battle: The Clinton campaign's insinuation that Obama is more vulnerable to GOP-style attacks on his patriotism.”
The Washington Post’s Shales wasn’t too impressed with the debate. “Obama was right on the money when he complained about the campaign being bogged down in media-driven inanities and obsessiveness over any misstatement a candidate might make along the way, whether in a speech or while being eavesdropped upon by the opposition. The tactic has been to ‘take one statement and beat it to death,’ he said.”
The New York Times writes about and fact-checks Ayres. “Mr. Obama was asked by a moderator, George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, about his relationship with Bill Ayers, a former Weather Underground leader who is now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago… Mr. Ayers is listed as a member of the nine-member board of the Woods Fund of Chicago, an offshoot of the Woods Charitable Fund, founded in 1941 by a prominent lawyer and telephone company executive. According to the fund’s Web site, it has focused in recent years on ‘issues that affected the area’s least advantaged, including welfare reform, affordable housing” and “tax policy as a tool in reducing poverty.’”
“Mr. Stephanopoulos and Mrs. Clinton also referred to statements by Mr. Ayers in an article in The New York Times on Sept. 11, 2001, that Mrs. Clinton said were ‘deeply hurtful to people in New York.’ ‘I don’t regret setting bombs,’ Mr. Ayers said then. ‘I feel we didn’t do enough.’ Mr. Ayers did not make the remarks after the attacks on the World Trade Center that day. The interview had been conducted earlier, in connection with a memoir that he had published, ‘Fugitive Days,’ and he was referring to his experience in the Weather Underground.”
The New York Post leads with… “Obama used Bill Clinton against Hillary Rodham Clinton last night, blunting criticism over his own relationship with an unrepentant one-time1960s terrorist by pointing to pardons the former president gave to similar figures.”
