SHAME on you, Hillary!

Briefly and broadly, I want to recall some key and clutch moments in last evening Democratic debate.

#1 MOMENT, if nothing else, this was the crux of the evening. Video below, editing not mine:



Mike Gravel, speaking with regard to yesterday's Senate vote to rebuke Tehran, a histrionic move that potentially validates war with Iran. He applauds Biden and Dodd for voting against, questions Obama for not showing up...

"And I am ashamed of you, Hillary, for voting for it."

(Hillary mockingly laughs/chortles in response)

"I don't know where to start," she sighs.

Here's a thought, Hillary. Try answering a single question directly, stop triangulating like your husband, stop exploiting nostalgia for the pre-Bush years, which are that much rosier by comparison. Don't feign to be some aristocrat who's above handling questions that every other candidate is eager to answer. If you're going to sandbag the debates, don't bother participating. This is an election of urgency, not entitlement.

Amongst the other candidates, everyone had scattered moments, not one clear and away winner. If there were any losers, it was the top two of Hillary/Obama. Hillary's arrogance and presumed victory are apparent, while Obama just doesn't throttle it up and take her, or any issue really, to task. His sing-song, infinitely-qualifying-itself rhetoric do not work, and don't convince me has a hard-lined stance on much. Enter John Edwards. As I previously noted, Edwards is the political athlete of the field, most adept at truly sparring with rhetoric. That is exactly what we saw last evening. For, while a quiet presence overall, he bobbed and weaved on Hillary numerous times, illustrating their differences. At no point does he outrightly diss Clinton, but his comments paint very overt distinctions.

admitting his error on authorizing the Iraq War:

"We learned a very different lesson from that. I have no intention of giving George Bush the authority to take the first step on a road to war with Iran... What I learned in my vote on Iraq was you cannot give this president the authority and you can't even give him the first step in that authority because he cannot be trusted. And that resolution that was voted on today was a very clear indication..."

on Iraq/military strategy:

"There are, however, differences between us, and
those differences need to be made aware. Good people have differences about this issue. For example, I heard Senator Clinton say on Sunday that she wants to continue combat missions in Iraq. To me, that's a continuation of the war. I do not think we should continue combat missions in Iraq."

on prioritizing universal Healthcare:

"What happened in '93 and '94 is that we didn't get universal health care, but we got NAFTA. And when I'm president of the United States, you have my word, I will never pull the universal health care bill."

Kucinich had some trouble getting his footing at times, with responses bouncing between the other candidates. Considering Kucinich's unique stance on Iraq and healthcare, it's no surprise. But you give him the right opportunity, and he'll unleash. From the Lightning Round:

Russert: "Would you be in favor of a phase-in $3.00 a gallon gasoline tax?" (Based upon Alan Greenspan's suggestion in his new book).

Kucinich: "No. And he said something else that didn't receive much notice. He said that the Iraq war was about oil, something that
I said on "Meet the Press," Tim, on February 23rd, 2003.

I think that we need to make sure that the next president was
right about Iraq, was right about the Patriot Act.

You can have a president like that, who was right about Iraq, who
voted against it from the beginning and against the funding. You can
have a president against -- who was for a single-payer, not-for-profit
health care system, one who will stop the Patriot Act... or you can have a president who's tall."

And when recounting the epic Cleveland-falls-into-default story, in which Kucinich stood up for regular citizens, and was heralded as Cleveland's savior 15 years later:

"I put my job on the line. How many people would be willing to
put their job on the line in the face of pressure from banks and
utilities?

As this story gets told, people will want me to be their next
president, because they'll see in me not only the ability to take a
stand, but the ability to live with integrity."

Gravel was also on point, with his exasperation more palatable this evening (I'm always a fan of it, but I recognize much of the populace is full of squeamish squares who can't handle the truth). Hopefully others watching felt the same way. Case in point, regarding his personal bankruptcy:

"I stuck the credit card companies with $90,000 worth of bills and they deserved it because I used the money... They deserved it -- and I used the money to finance the
empowerment of the American people with a national initiative, so you can make the laws."

It goes to show ya, the guys with the purest integrity are the ones with the least money to their name. To that end, Edwards did not take kindly to questions of character regarding his hedge fund work/haircuts/book deal with a Rupert Murdoch publisher. And I respect how he was able to answer and qualify each of those incidents (donated all the book deal money, took his money out of the hedge fund and set up a low-income housing program after the revelation, and the haircut... who cares? Giuliani pays more for Max Schreck's makeup parlor, and Hillary would wear face glitter if he got her votes, so don't go off on him about integrity). It's a shame that the system is so crooked in the first place. Anyone vocally expresses a desire to fix it deserve support, not skepticism bred out of complacency.

Top One Liners (not surprisingly, they come from the guys given the least time or opportunity to fully explain their platforms):

Gravel: (on lowering the drinking age to 18) "If you're old enough to die for this country then you're old enough to drink."

"WE'RE LIVING IN FANTASY LAND!" (recurring soundbite, very true as well)

Kucinich: (on a national smoking can in public places) "I've been breathing in a lot of second-hand smoke here tonight. You bet I'll go for a national law."

Also, big props to Biden:

"And last point I'll make is, Rudy Giuliani doesn't know what the heck he's talking about. He's the most uninformed person in American
foreign policy and now running for president, number one."

THAT is what we need more of. Democrats willing to directly call out the Republicans. The only way to reclaim moral authority and integrity amongst the American people is to tell it like it is. Gravel sure as hell will, Kucinich fears no man, Biden is a force, Dodd even has some fire, Edwards was a born fighter, Richardson had change + experience... but what about the other two? Obama? Hillary?