Democratic Primary Debate

The first Democratic Primary Debate just ended. It was pretty much what I expected it to be. Nothing major said, no major policy points laid out. Mostly just posturing. There were a few highlights:

Hillary Clinton

• Once again dodged an opportunity to say that her vote to authorize military force against Iraq was wrong.

John Edwards

• It seems like the only criticism that he is faced with is the fact that he paid $400 a haircut. If this is the only thing he can be attacked about then he's in pretty good shape.

Joe Biden

• Fairly unimpressive. He needed to be a little more bold so that he could have a chance of breaking out the poor position he is in.
• Brought some levity to the debate when asked about being a "gaffe machine" and if he would be able to ensure that he would not do this again. He responded with "Yes."

Bill Richardson

• Also needed to make more bold statements so that he could officially break out of being a lower tier candidate.
• Was hit harshly for his late call for Alberto Gonzalez to step down.

Dennis Kucinich

• I hate him
• He blows
• He's a hypocrite
• Rather than speaking of his views, he simply spouted off bill numbers.
• He's a douche

Christopher Dodd

• Claimed that he believed that gays and lesbians deserve the same rights as heterosexual couples, and then said he opposed gay marriage. Does this make sense at all???

Mike Gravel

• Was really the break out person in this debate. This isn't because he'll gain points in the polls, but he will be the person to force Democratic candidates to say things that matter.
• Definitely made the toughest call to end the war. Suggested that the Congress make it a felony to stay in Iraq, and laid out a plan that might actually work. Let's not forget that Gravel was one of the major players in the effort to get us out of Vietnam.

All in all the debate was what I expected. The top tier candidates basically just hoped that they wouldn't trip. It was a very odd format for a debate i.e. "Show of Hands" questions. Just kind of strange. I definitely think the Democratic party is in much better shape to retake the Presidency than they were in 2004.