Veleta3:03PMApr 18th 2008

George should be fired. He is a political operative, not a journalist. He belongs on FOX news.

JOHN3:11PMApr 18th 2008

Have a look at Obama's 13th ward...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqu3u9ISctA

Lnstarmom3:22PMApr 18th 2008

This is a travesty...George should be fired for unprofessional conduct...this was a set up but it isn't working because it backfired...people are tired of politics as usual...the media needs to wake up...remember the line...WE ARE MAD AS HELL AND WE AREN'T GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!

Steve Seivers3:28PMApr 18th 2008

The sad thing is that we were not shocked by ABC's lack of professionalism. It has become the norm. Take the Gore and Bush debates in 2000. The media concentrated thier coverage on George Bush's tie and Al Gore's sighs.

Take the buildup to the Iraqi war. The coverage was not of the efficacy of the war. Instead, the press became Cheney Cheerleaders. Now with doughnuts and standing ovations for McCain and Osama jabs at Obama we see more of the same. Sixty people died in Iraq Tuesday. It was a small 1 & 1/2 columns on page five of our local newspaper. Page one was that the surge is working.

Its not just that ABC was horrible, which they were. Its that they are only a reflection of the media at large. Where are the Cronkites, the Huntleys and Brinkleys? There is not one reporter for the networks that will look the camera in the eye and tell us the truth. I take that back. There may be hope for Anderson Cooper.

John3:30PMApr 18th 2008

I thought I read somewhere that George and Hillary did not get along during the early Clinton years and that his dislike for her led him, in part, to leave the administration. Do you think he may have been overcompensating?

Just a thought.

John in Philadelphia
OBAMA '08

Carroll Johnson3:41PMApr 18th 2008

Senators Nunn, Boren, and I think tells tons is Bill Clinton's former secretary of Labor, Robert Reich have all endorsed Barack Obama. Ask yourself, what is wrong with Hillary and Bill that all these people who used to work with them in the white house are on or joining Obama's team. Bill Richardson spent 8 years working for the Clinton's, he would not endorse Hillary? You need to put on your thinking cap and ask yourself why people who dealt with Hillary for years are not supporting her? What is it in her personality that these people can't support? What is it in Hillary's slash and burn politics that they won't follow? Has Hillary's honesty and trustworthiness poll of 39% woken people up? In September of 2006, Hillary's poll on these areas was 52%. She is so polarizing! How can you vote for someone who people do not trust or consider honest for president? How can you vote for someone who has had to resort to character assasination instead of issue differences to try to win? Vote with your head and not your heart please. The facts are all out. Obama has been running a campaign where he has had to go against a previous 2 term president as well as a previous first lady. Despite those difficult circumstances he has gone against, here is where he is. He has won the most delegates, popular vote, won twice as many states, has 1.3 million donors(average donation of $109)and growing, and has built a huge volunteer organization in a matter of just over a year. It takes a real great leader to guide that many people and make all the decisions necessary to become successful. Additionally, he has had to fight a still ingrained racial prejudice among as much as 20% of the population. Only in America can you start from being on food stamps, have no father, lose your mother early from cancer, work to gain a scholarship and use student loans to reach "as Lawrence Tribe of Harvard said" such success that he could go to any law firm or even clerk for a supreme court justice. Yet Obama chose to work for people who had less. Additionally, he has written 2 best selling books. He is now a dad, with 2 young girls and a wife who also overcame many obstacles to achieve success. What a great American story. Do you want the Clinton's back in the white house "again," maintaining a dynasty or monopoly of the Bush's and Clinton's over the last 27 years. Not in America should this happen. Obama for a fresh start, enthusiasm, and to build an even better America!!!

JimM3:43PMApr 18th 2008

Another plus for Hillary, and the list goes on.

I see Obama is better on TV then when he is actually doing something.

And he wants no more debates with Hillary. Boy is the world surpassed about that! You would have thought after the ABC debate, he would have been yelling for more. I guess he felt this last one rated D+ by one newspaper is the best grade he could possibly come up with.

I see he flipped the finger one time at Hillary. And yes he did. All the news sources are carrying this (I am surprised !). I also saw the this.

What presidential material he really is. Would this be what he would be doing if he were with another dignitary who he didn't like or who disagreed with him?

He looked like a little boy next to his white grandmother. (Watch out Hillary especially if there is a bus around.)

Did any one ask how low you can go? Repeat that question but look at the middle finger of your right hand as you ask it.

one not for pickler fan!3:46PMApr 18th 2008

If ABC pursued this woman to throw fast balls at Obama, I don’t see a problem with that …..AS LONG as the playing field is fair and Hill has a Clinton basher pitching to her. You are right T- someone needs to find out the 5 W’s on this story…that is if they still know what the W’s are! If this is all true…then someone’s head should roll. It is against every fair and measured standard to pull stunts like this when people just want to get the issues and facts from journalistic forums.

Diana3:49PMApr 18th 2008

Tommy....without debating the presence of journalistic ethics or lack thereof for now, I have to defend George S. by pointing out that prior to this debate, I have found that he has consistently made a concerted effort to distance himself (from the Clintons) by imbuing impartiality since attaining his tenure at ABC, even to the point of going even harder at the Clintons when discussed or appearing on "This Week". I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt here until facts prove otherwise.

For the record, I agree wholeheartedly that this flag pin (and not placing hand on his chest during national anthem) issue is a complete non-starter, only a bit moreso than the Obama camp's Screw 'Em Gate and Annie Oakley remarks.

Pat3:53PMApr 18th 2008

I didn't see any of you people screaming like this when Hillary Clinton was bashed by the moderators and media at a debate a few weeks ago. What is good for the goose is good for the gander!!! If Obama can't stand this type of questioning without whining-and without egging all of you on to whine- how is he going to withstand the pressure of being the President??

rich3:54PMApr 18th 2008

i agree...they should fire stephanapolis . he is not a journalist- he is a fraud,and a a clinton-crony.
shame on you all !!!!

PATRICK4:06PMApr 18th 2008

I was quite surprised to hear the questions asked of obomma, not that they were trivial, but that for once obomma was put on the carpet , on tv, live .
Sen. Clinton has been raked over the coals for months and obomma has been given a hall pass.

I do not think the questions were out of line, I still have the questions on my mind since obomma never really directly answered the question. He evaded the question, he responded to the question.
He did not answer the question.
The spin city of the liberal media tries to dismiss the validity of the question and the non answer by saying the questions were out of line, abc was picking on obomma, the questions were trivial, etc.

obomma, the questions were asked, where is the answer?
Patrick, proud to be an American

Winkie4:11PMApr 18th 2008

I just don't get it. With all of the information about Sen. Obama's poor judgement, to put it mildly, about his association with people like Ayers (the bomber) and Wright ( the hate-monger and bigot ) people still seem to flock to endorse Obama and criticize Clinton who has been thinking about and planning solutions to our country's problems for a long time. Sen. Obama has, in my opinion, gotten many of his own ideas directly from Clinton's suggestions and ideas put forward by her. As far as the lapel pin thing mentioned in the debate, I had heard about people questioning and blogging about that very question for quite a while, so perhaps it needed to be asked directly, although it certainly was not the huge issue some other things are. The DNC and Democratic Party heads in general, have pretty much thrown this election away, I think. The Republicans will have enough ammunition against Obama to blow him out of the water if he is the nominee and it seems as if he will be. I, for one, can not and will not vote for a man who sees nothing wrong with counting a former terrorist who bombed government buildings and still seems to believe in that sort of resolution to problems (he believed in it in 2001), as a friend, albeit a casual one, supposedly. Ayers is the sort of thinker who should have lived in some South American country where they have a revolution every couple of years and remain consistently unstable. In other words, his thinking is barbaric.

Jamie4:24PMApr 18th 2008

What Nash didn't say is that she is a Hillary supporter. It is quite odd that Nash is picky about Barack not wearing a flag pin, but ignoring the fact that Hillary doesn't wear one neither. Nash, is a prime example of how people use "other things" to complain about, because they given up on their situations. It took her 8 years to get her husband's disability payments. They eat from a local food bank. They never had children, due to her husband's health. SHE BORROWS MONEY FROM HER PARENTS WHO ARE IN THEIR 70'S!!. Now, her husband has almost one foot in the grave, due to his medical condition. When Nash McCabe was given an opportunity to ask a question of something that would be RELEVANT to their situation, she asks about what? A Flag Pin! LOL!!

mrbline4:27PMApr 18th 2008

I have been watching the debates since the list was reduced to two. I have not seen a single attempt to degrade of ridicule Sen. Clinton, and up until the last debate, I could say the same for Obama.

The "victim" song and dance just doesn't cut it, and frankly only weakens her case, especially in light of her praising her first hand experience in the White House.

I've been hearing the victim line for months over nothing. What? Have the past 5 months been harder than the White House?

mrbline4:40PMApr 18th 2008

ROFLMAO

I just remembered Niedermeyer from Animal House!

"A p-p-pledge pin!!!!!"
"Mister, what are you going to do with the rest of your life!"

ted4:45PMApr 18th 2008

Obama is nothing but a novice & a whiner. Maybe in a few years, not now. He's been running for office perpetually for the past few years. He's also handled the Wright & other controversies very badly. It has caused him to be less than honest in many of his assertions. Hillary is obviously more qualified to be Pres. He has too many hate groups backing him, to say nothing of Hamas who now supports him.

tzada4:52PMApr 18th 2008

They questioned a pro Clinton voter and a pro Obama voter? What's the deal here?

What's wrong with you Tommy? Why do you ridicule the vetting process and try and stop it?

You have some sycophant here, fortunately there are
many more with minds of their own looking for the truth, sad to say here at the PM the od-ed people only offer smoke and mirrors.
"
"Obama is applying to be Commander-in-Chief. Obama’s friends have included an American terrorist and Obama wants us to be believe that this relationship was benign? Not only are we entitled to ask about this relationship, it’s our fiduciary duty as voters to demand more information about this relationship."

“Kill all the rich people. Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home, kill your parents, that’s where it’s really at.”
Bill Ayers

“Dig it. First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them, then they even shoved a fork into a victim’s stomach! Wild!”
Bernardine Dohrn

"These two individuals helped Barack Obama launch his political career. This trash is what passes for respectable in Chicago style politics."

"Contrary to Obama’s claim that who your friends are shouldn’t matter, the fact that his benefactor is an unrepentant terrorist calls into question Obama’s judgment. If Obama were applying for a job with the FBI or any American intelligence agency, his relationship with Ayers would receive the utmost scrutiny and would likely result in him receiving a rejection letter:"

"Obama’s poor judgment in picking his friends–from Wright, to Rezko, to Ayers–becomes glaringly obvious when you realize that many of Obama’s friends knew each other and were all working for each others’ benefit. Like the Teamster’s Pension Fund, the non-profit Woods Fund was place where Chicago’s powerful could mingle and dispense funds to their friends:"
Larry Johnson of No Quarter Given

Gaias Child4:58PMApr 18th 2008

Has anybody seen a pin on the former first lady? I must a missed it.

m.k.5:00PMApr 18th 2008

It is about time Obama got a drilling. For a long, long time when the campaigning started, this drilling was on the other foot. Now this is becomming more interesting, although I would like to hear a lot more on all of the issues at hand -- economy, foreign affairs, the war, etc. What are their views in reality, and how would they go about turning these issues around.