Clinton vs Obama: Debating the issues on which they agree.
IS THAT WHAT we were waiting for? A nearly two-hour debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama devoted to issues on which they basically agree. Well, that’s what we got.
What did we learn? We now know without a doubt that Clinton is a blowhard. An all too frequent statement by CNN host Wolf Blitzer was, “Senator … senator.” He was trying to stop her from blathering on. But he failed. You could tell she’s been in the Senate longer than Obama. She’s adept at filibustering in mind-numbing fashion.
Following the debate, CNN’s Anderson Cooper noted that it was the candidates’ “last time to score points one on one.” Maybe so, but it’s clear from this and earlier debates that Obama isn’t particularly interested in scoring points. Sure, he contrasts his early opposition to the war in Iraq with her Senate vote authorizing it, but what matters is that they now agree on getting American troops out of Iraq as quickly as possible. Neither has the faintest interest in winning in Iraq.
Clinton doesn’t seem bent on winning in Afghanistan either. She said he wants to “end” the war in Iraq, but her goal is to “resolve” the war in Afghanistan. Neither Obama nor the media questioners asked what she meant by that.
Both Obama and Clinton, it turns out, expect to fund their health insurance plans through magic. Obama said his scheme would “conservatively save” $100 billion to $150 billion by emphasizing early medical care, freeing that money to subsidize insurance for those who can’t pay. Not likely. Clinton said hers would save $55 billion through “modernization and efficiencies.” Also not likely.