31. A real debate would expose the fact that the Democrats are wrong on several issues and they refuse to fix their positions in fear of looking like a "Flip-Flop." America wants the border secure from terrorists. It looks like "Bitter" people are calling Hispanics terrorists, but we don't have a problem with Hispanics. We have a problem with "Illegals" getting benefits without obeying the law. America loves guns. If the Bush administration could not defend this nation against 20 Jihidiots, then we all should be clinging to our guns and digging personal bunkers to survive. Do you think the missile shield will work? America wants integrity. Hillary Clinton has come as close as she can to admitting that she just lied about her Bosnia trip for no reason. If she can't be trusted, then what about that Right Wing Conspiracy crack? What about the Lewinsky scandal. Did she give Bill permission as she handled her business? Vince Foster certainly isn't going to testify about anything anytime soon. Finally, that stain in the Oval Office should disqualify them from consideration. They just don't pass the "Laugh Test" so America is being censored by the Media. Do you think the Republicans aren't going to laugh their way to the White House if Clinton wins? They have nominated a wannabee stand up comic. That "Bomb Iran" song bombed, but if the issue becomes the Clinton's integrity; that's hilarous. Democrats would deserve to lose. Beating up Obama shows how "Bitter" they are about impeachment. We should have had the guts to get past this when it happened. Al Gore would have been President the last 10 years. Anything would have been better than Bush! All he had to do was read that damn book!

Cecil Jones at 11:14AM on Apr 18th 2008

32. Strados,
It is called google. Click, Click, Click was all it would have taken to avoid looking ignorant. Here is your quote that you asked for (one of 40+ pages of articles):
“I think we set a new record because it took us 45 minutes before we even started talking about” the issues, Obama said at a town-hall forum in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday.
He lamented the fact that Washington encouraged manufactured debates and “gotcha games” to incite attacks. “They like stirring up controversy,” he said of the news media, before getting in a dig at his rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton. “Sen. Clinton looked in her element. She was taking every opportunity,” he said to jeers and laughter.

“That’s her right to kind of twist the knife a little bit,” he said to laughter and applause. “You know, that’s why she’s only airing attacks on the TV in Pennsylvania, like most places.”
He called her tactics “textbook Washington” as he tried to underscore his appeal as the antipolitician. “That’s how our politics has been taught to be played. That’s the lesson she learned” when the Republicans “were doing the same to her back in the 1990s.”

Jeb in '16 at 12:09PM on Apr 18th 2008

33. LOL That was a great debate !!!!!!!!!! Those members of the AOL Obama Love Machine are probably still in shock because Obama boy had to answer some tough questions for a change.

No more BO-BS

AlasAlas at 12:13PM on Apr 18th 2008

34. OpenYourBlindEye: I love when I do exactly what conservatives have been doing to Obama, and they flip out.

Did you not get the irony here (or I should say, double standard)?

I don't like McCain as a candidate, but I DO NOT WANT his future debates with Obama to be about non-substantive BS. And I assume you don't either. I want to hear about McCain's pastors. I don't want to rehash *why* his pastors might be relevant (certainly just as relevant or irrelevant as Wright).

The point is, most of the people here who are saying (paraphrase, but might as well be a quote) "LOL, Cenk u suck u lib. ur just mad cuz abc's told da truth aboutur man Obama, Go McCain!!!lol" aren't thinking about my McCain Obama scenario, and how pissed and annoyed they'd be if the first 45 minutes of a McCain/Obama debate was wasted on these BS issues.

PS---Just because you like McCain doesn't mean everythign and everything that doesn't sound good that's he's done in his past is "rumors". I know Fox news and Rush *tells you* its rumors and you nod your head in uncritical agreement. The point is, I don't want a debate to focus on these issues for Obama OR McCain. That's called being fair. You should try it sometime.

ihavenobias at 12:30PM on Apr 18th 2008

35. GO ABC! I thought you did an excellent job! It's about time someone asked the "Golden Child" something besides scripted questions. (EVEN THOUGH HE NEVER DID ANSWER THEM!)Good for you ABC!

Terry Butler at 12:30PM on Apr 18th 2008

36. # 16, Sally...you are right. I think we are finally getting a clear picture of Obama. Behind all the fancy rhetoric and brilliant speeches lies a rather empty suit...with a lot of baggage. Now Cenk can bitch and moan all he wants about how the moderators were "doing the Republicans" job for them by focusing on the past..i.e..his associations. Hey...this man is running for president. We have every right to know about Obama's "friends." Whether they like it or not, you are judged in part by the company you keep. This man was given a free ride up till now, unlike Hillary. And..yes...we should know about McCain's associations as well,past and present. Although..being endorsed by a far right wing preacher is not the same as Obama with the rather odious Rev Wright. He embraces the man while trying to distance himself at the same time. Definitely not trustworthy.

April at 12:32PM on Apr 18th 2008

37. Strados et al,

Here is Obama's speech about the debate...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlR9DNfqGD4

Now, let's all brush this off and move on...

FINN at 12:39PM on Apr 18th 2008

38. Find it very interesting that the media does not
want to know the background & friends Obama has.
The guy is running for President of the USA, not
for the school board. Yes, many people need to know a lot more about him. Seems the job of a good
news reporter is to look in the background of canidates. Think ABC did a good job asking questions, Obama did a poor job of answering them.
Read in my paper that the Obama gave the group
CARE $35,000 Last year, Care a group we have not
alot of information about. Why CARE? Seems Obama
has rather a group of people around him that do not
like the USA. Why?

jc at 1:26PM on Apr 18th 2008

39. WE KNOW Obama & Hillary's positions on critical issues...Higher taxes (across the board); Get out of Iraq (now); Universal Health Care (not sure how); pro abortion; anti military; anti gun ownership; pro gay marriage; improve the economy
(no plan stated); "talk" to Iran, No. Korea, the Taliban; they are socialists, big government proponents; everything wrong is Bush's fault..or the Republicans. WE do NOT KNOW about Obama's past & are exploring some disturbing associations,as well as his ill thought controversial statements! How would he react as President (that thought is scary as hell)! We have never received all the truth(s)about Hillary's disturbing past either. We do know she lies..constatntly..as did her husband!!! This is why the panel asked the proper questions, to discover the critical character of these candidates(?)!!

Vet2 at 1:37PM on Apr 18th 2008

40. Cerk, it was time for another major news media to question Obama Hussein Barack....we have been asking ONE of them to stand up and do this repeatedly...what are you reading? These questions are being asked over and over.....why doesn't another big news media ask Obama some tough questions....we ask why are you handling him with kid gloves...we ask them (the other major news medias) is he your messiah? It was about time for this to happen, I am proud ABC finally listened to some real people.
As a reporter it is sad that your not listening to us...maybe, you should actually read some other blogs...most of us know what they stand for on economics, the war, etc.....we do have questions about Barak, yet he still manages to evade...Goood Luck, I am just a typical white woman that loves the right to bear arms and attend church when I wish....I don't clinggggggggggg to it.....I love it!
God Bless America!

Lee at 1:41PM on Apr 18th 2008

41. Butchers = asks Obama tough question.

Davidg at 2:21PM on Apr 18th 2008

42. Dear April,

I had to go back and check the name on your post several times. I must confess I found it difficult to believe the rather ridiculous however, well-scripted rhetoric that is the Ultra Right Wing Manic Machine, furthermore, the only way they know to communicate or smear and destroy. This coming from someone such as you was disappointing to me and shocking.

In the past, we have found an amicable way to share the same opinions while we differ on others. I always respected the way in which you expressed yourself and your reasons for believing the way you do about the issues or certain politicians.

Furthermore, we do not have to support the same candidate or like the same man or woman. However, falling for the lies that have been spread about Senator Obama are at best comical and at worst ignorant, and hateful. If you take, a few minutes to go to snopes.com you will be enlighten and even shocked at the crap that can be disproven very quickly.

I must say I thought you were the type of woman that could see past the smearing campaigns.

There is a lot that all three candidates must answer for. For example, I would love to know why Senator McCain will not support the new GI bill? I think this is a lot more serious than Obama not wearing a flag pin (which by the way, they are made in China. Talk about irony). I am much more interested in finding out which of the three candidates can better govern our nation and fix problems that have been created in the past eight years.

I care about the ECONOMY, HEALTH CARE, THE IRAQ DEBACLE, SOCIAL SECURITY, and ENVIRONMENT just to name a few of the issues that are not being address at the present time.

My G-d April we were lied about Iraq, we had a CIA agent’s identity disclosed. Federal prosecutors were fired solely due to political reasons (and these were republican prosecutors). When Bush took over the White House, the price of oil was approximately $27 or $30 a barrel, this week the price of a barrel is approximately $114. The troops are not being properly taken care of by this government and you are worried about a Pastor? A former pastor, who he himself was a Marine at one time. Did Bush serve his nation (and I am not talking about making appearances as a national guard) how about Cheney and Rove?

Furthermore, those despicable disgusting remarks Wright made about the USA, were also similar to the remarks made by Pat Robertson, Jerry Farwell and the Parsley fellow that is endorsing McCain.

Therefore, to coin a popular phrase from FOX, how about being “fair and Balance”.

Patty at 2:40PM on Apr 18th 2008

43. Patty - You have an amazing ability to keep repeating the same stuff even after your claims have been soundly refuted: There was no conspiracy. It's questionable that Valerie Plame was ever covert and if she was outed, it was Richard Armittage that admitted to it, hardly a "neo-con". (Your assertion makes a great Democrat talking point, but it's just not true.)

Dave at 2:51PM on Apr 18th 2008

44. "The moderators did the Republicans' work for them."

Right! The media have had a left bias forever. Now they finally see the Democrats are too socialistic even for them. Somehow I don't feel like crying.

Bob at 2:56PM on Apr 18th 2008

45. Cenk, you are hillarious. When the same thing happened at NBC and CBS you were silent. Now, that the great Obama gets grilled, you're all up in arms. You can't have it both ways. The Obama facade is finally being cracked with questions that don't agree with YOU. Maybe it's time you stepped back and took a good look. Your narrow thinking may be blocking your view??? This is down and dirty politics. Welcome to the REAL WORLD.

CAPTAIN AMERICA at 3:10PM on Apr 18th 2008