"You were wrong"

post from Daily Kos on 26 September 2008 11:58:07 PM. © Daily Kos

Obama: So John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the "surge," the war started in 2003. At the time, when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said you knew where the weapons of mass destruction were -- and you were wrong. You said we were going to be greeted as liberators -- you were wrong. You said that there was no history of violence between Shi'a and Sunni, and you were wrong. ...if the question is, who is best equipped as the next president to make good decisions about how we use our military, how we make sure we are prepared and ready for the next conflict, then I think we can take a look at our judgment

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/4gMdorowaxY/611961

Digg this

Debate Wrap-Up: Obama Didnt Hurt Himself

post from Firedoglake on 26 September 2008 11:55:01 PM. © Firedoglake

The good news? Well, McCain sounded bitter and looked hunched over and mean. He wasn't likeable, and most of the Monday morning quarterbacks on my teevee seemed to agree. Obama can definitely recover in the next debate -- he didn't have any kind of a[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2008/09/26/debate-wrap-up-obama-didnt-hurt-hi
mself/

Digg this

Reactions

post from Daily Kos on 26 September 2008 11:52:03 PM. © Daily Kos

NBC's Athena Jones:

The longer format appears to be working for Obama, who tends to be long-winded. He hasn't been forced to give a quick answer yet.

He's on message, hitting his talking points on the contrasts with John McCain on taxes, his plans for healthcare and energy independence. He seemed to cover more ground than McCain whose main points were about cutting government spending.

For several minutes, Obama was the only one to interrupt his opponent, which seemed to be an attempt to show his willingness to fight back.

CNN's Borger:

"real challenge" for Obama, "he had some trouble on the surge answer...but I think if John McCain is supposed to be head and shoulders above Obama on foreign policy, Obama held his own."

James Antle at The American Spectator's blog:

"McCain's lack of interest in economics and monomanical focus on earmarks is putting him at a real disadvantage. He cannot rebut Obama's statist arguments by offering a mushier, less coherent version of the same."

Ben Smith at Politico:

Obama has been uneven, but he's landed the hardest punches.

Udpate:

David Gergen on CNN:

John McCain needed a clear victory tonight. I think a tie was not in his interest. He is behind. And this is his best subject night ... I think he needed a clear victory tonight and that eluded him.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/jkFQXdNis3o/611925

Digg this

Biden

post from Talking Points Memo on 26 September 2008 11:50:00 PM. © Talking Points Memo

Pretty measured debate, but on hammering McCain Biden was on fire ... [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Talking-Points-Memo/~3/aljBbU7dlkI/220213.php

Digg this

Cool pool to freep

post from Daily Kos on 26 September 2008 11:46:40 PM. © Daily Kos

Coolest web poll ever. And we don't even need to freep it. People loved Obama before we checked in.

Any other polls to freep?

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/YQZLJF7_a_c/611947

Digg this

Cool poll to freep

post from Daily Kos on 26 September 2008 11:46:40 PM. © Daily Kos

Coolest web poll ever. And we don't even need to freep it. People loved Obama before we checked in.

Any other polls to freep?

AOL
Chicago Tribune
CNN
Atlanta Journal Constitution

Full list here.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/YQZLJF7_a_c/611947

Digg this

To Know Thy Friend Kissinger

post from BeThink - Front Page on 26 September 2008 11:45:00 PM. © BeThink - Front Page

video details and more

Henry Kissinger: High Level Negotiations with Iran

copyright ? 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Tonight, during the first Presidential Debate, in the year 2008, John McCain empathically claimed to know his chum of more than thirty years. The Arizona Senator strongly stated former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, would think Barack Obama wrong. Senator McCain repeatedly reassured the public that the Ambassador would not think it wise to negotiate with rogue nations such as Iran. John Sidney McCain reminded us of the refrain, Barack Obama is "na?ve." Yet, it might be puerile to ponder that friendship ensures explicit agreement.

The implication, or indeed, the powerful proclamation, that potential President Barack Obama was "wrong" on Iran was one John McCain offered with confidence and conviction. Yet, the assertion was inaccurate.
Only days earlier, the words tripped off the tongue of John's friend Henry. Secretary of State Kissinger avowed, "I am in favor of negotiating with Iran. And one utility of negotiation is to put before Iran our vision of a Middle East, of a stable Middle East, and our notion on nuclear proliferation at a high enough level so that they have to study it. And, therefore, I actually have preferred doing it at the Secretary of State level..."
Henry Kissinger, when asked if he thought it wise to confer at very high level at the outset, at the earliest possible moment, the long time acquaintance of Arizona Senator John McCain, said unequivocally, "Exactly!"

A well-regarded attach?, such as Kissinger is known to be, advocated for communication between countries. His words were . . . "Initially, yes. And I always believed that the best way to begin a negotiation is to tell the other side exactly what you have in mind and what you are - what the outcome is that you're trying to achieve so that they have something that they can react to . . . So if we go into a negotiation, we ought to have a clear understanding of what is it we're trying to prevent. What is it going to do if we can't achieve what we're talking about? But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations.

Apparently, contrary to John McCain, who appeared angered by the notion that his pal might have professed as he did, Henry Kissinger thinks it best to put forth the American vision of a stable Middle East. The Statesman, in an earlier recorded conference with fellow former Secretaries of States expressed a belief that if positions are presented in person, there is an opportunity to study proposals. The suggestion is, people can come to terms if the terms are stated in a manner that allows for discussion.

Henry Kissinger pointedly proclaimed, if we are to effectively work together we must come to the table. Our intention need be one of cooperation. Perchance, Secretary Kissinger, an Ambassador, understands what his acquaintance, Presidential aspirant John McCain does not. The purpose of peace talks is to avoid war, not create greater reasons for combat.

Envoy Kissinger might have the experience John McCain lacks. It would seem the esteemed Henry Kissinger knows empathy is indeed, the greatest educator. A Chief Officer cannot command unless he communicates. Communication requires give and take. "(T)his notion by not talking to people we are punishing them has not worked. . . . our efforts of isolation have actually accelerated (their) efforts to get nuclear weapons." The words of Barack Obama might have been a statement released by Henry Kissinger a week earlier.

Kissinger Backs Direct Talks 'Without Conditions' with Iran
ABC News' Rachel Martin Reports: Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger today told an audience in Washington, DC that the U.S. should negotiate with Iran "without conditions" and that the next President should begin such negotiations at a high level
The former Nixon and Ford U.S. Secretary of State early in the year indicated his belief that the U.S. should hold direct talks with Iran when speaking to Bloomberg Television.
Kissinger spoke at a CNN sponsored forum at George Washington University along with other former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, James Baker III, Warren Christopher, and Colin Powell. The leaders were asked to pinpoint the major challenges the next president will face around the world and to offer advice about how to handle those critical issues. The secretaries named the fight against terrorism, restoring America's reputation abroad, re-building the country's economic power, and global climate change as atop priority.

There seemed to be a consensus. Global harmony can come if a Commander-In-Chief is not intent on a hundred year war. Henry Kissinger shared, "I agree with what my colleagues have said about the importance of reaching out to the rest of the world."

Perpetual battles need not be if world leaders look each other in the eye, before they presume the other President or Premiere to be an enemy. One might muse, Henry Kissinger, through his conversations with many Prime Ministers learned what the maverick McCain has yet to discover. Whether a person shoots from the hip or the lip, if you fire before you see the whites of another person's eyes, you may accidentally kill one who would have never been an adversary.

Perchance, Secretary of State Kissinger, and the other Heads of State, understands the power one has when they listen. Might John McCain ever focus on the words or wisdom of the man he considers his friend, Henry Kissinger.

Could the supposed reformer John McCain acknowledge as an experienced veteran might, in his position as an envoy, Mister Kissinger possibly learned in countless conferences, people, when treated with respect, reciprocate.

Granted, there are times when an indignant dictatorial authority comes to a consultation with a closed mind. Nonetheless, their mere presence illustrates a willingness to work. Would it not be wondrous if Senator John McCain, or the man who might later be identified as his possible predecessor, President Bush realized, reverence remains the more significant tool for negotiation.

Henry Kissinger stated, robustly, it best to put forth the American vision. From what the American audience heard tonight, with John McCain in the Oval Office, the aspiration will be war, without conditions, rather than communication without conditions. Peace will not have a chance if a Commander-In-Chief cannot and does not acknowledge the words of his ally, his associate for more than thirty years, former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. Citizens of this country might muse; will tranquility be possible if our President does not consider the words of a foe or a friend. This first Presidential debate may have provided the American people with reason to fear.

Sources for the Experience of an Envoy . . .

The Next President: A World of Challenges. Cable News Network. September 20, 2008
Kissinger Backs Direct Talks 'Without Conditions' with Iran. ABC News. September 15, 2008
Kissinger Backs Direct Talks 'Without Conditions' with Iran. ABC News. September 15, 2008
Asked about McCain's Georgia position, Powell urges caution. Cable News Network. September 16, 2008
The first Presidential Debate; Transcript. The New York Times. September 26, 2008
pdf The first Presidential Debate; Transcript. The New York Times. September 26, 2008

Read The Full Article:
http://www.BeThink.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=1022

Digg this

Post-Debate Thread

My first thought: Think 1980, Ronald Reagan getting a major bump just from standing next to Jimmy Carter. Think 2004, John Kerry getting a major bump during the fist debate standing next to George W. Bush. The question is whether the candidate newer to[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mydd/~3/pdsz024a3yg/0781

Digg this

My reaction

Obama was forceful, poised, presidential, blah blah blah blah. You can get that shit on TV.

Here's what really struck me: Obama's biggest weakness is the notion that he's not ready or experienced enough. It was the basis of many a McCain attack: "Senator Obama doesn't understand/doesn't get it..." He flat out accused Obama of not having the judgment to lead at one point.

Obama fought back by speaking at length on every issue, aided by a format that allowed him to speak beyond 30 second sound bites, and he name dropped countries and foreign leaders by the bucketful, to underscore the fact that he knows what he's talking about. It was very effective.

There were no gaffes, and no obvious YouTube moments, so if nothing else, this debate maybe reinforced Obama's fitness to be president, but I don't think that line of attack has had much salience beyond the wingnut sense anyway.

And given where McCain is in the polls (lagging and getting worse), this wasn't what he needed tonight.

And given that the status quo probably remains, in a debate that was supposed to focus more on McCain's "strength" (national security), Obama wins.

----

One other point -- Lehrer was the best moderator, BY FAR, of any debate this season. And the audience was perfectly behaved. A triumphal debate. Perfect. Kudos to everyone involved in making it happen.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/9jzDJXC69NE/611930

Digg this

After the Knife Fight - Assessing the Damage

They're wrapping up, but not before McCain tries to compare Obama to Bush??? Holy crap, that's chutzpah.

I'm not asking y'all who won. Might as well ask a surrogate in the spin room.

That said -- *ahem* -- I was apprehensive about Obama's performance, having been underwhelmed throughout the primary season, and tonight I was pleasantly surprised. I knew the facts and the policies were on his side, but wasn't confident of his presentation. I was wrong, and I'm glad of it.