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ABC News' Jennifer Parker reports: Presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said conservative criticism of his wife, Michelle, infuriates him. "I don't have a thick skin when it comes to criticism of my wife," Obama told the women's magazine Glamour in an interview to run in the magazine's October issue. "And you know, the problem is that rarely do these folks have the guts to say it to your face." Obama, who is vying for the support of women voters who flocked to Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primaries, argued his wife and Clinton have been the target...

Will Obama Debate John McCain Without Preconditions? July 7, 2008 The world of Presidential candidate Barack Obama must be a strange and fascinating place. You get to be the "post-racial" guy while dealing the race card from the bottom of the deck like an old time poker cheat. Along with this political slight of hand, your solution to solving the fuel crisis involves punishing the people who actually produce the gas while raising taxes on the people who buy gas. When it comes to gas, Mr. Obama is having a sort of political dyslexia. On the campaign trail he said...

"Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain might not burn up the campaign trail around Western New York this election year, but the University at Buffalo may have scheduled the next best thing. GOP strategist Karl Rove and former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards will debate the issues of the presidential campaign Sept. 26 as part of the university’s Distinguished Speakers Series, The Buffalo News has learned. As surrogates for the parties’ standard bearers, the two also could square off more than once at other locations around the nation. “We’re working on something like that for our Distinguished Speakers Series,”...

WASHINGTON — The presidential campaigns of Senators Barack Obama and John McCain on Sunday rejected an invitation for a town-hall-style meeting in Manhattan that had been proposed by ABC News and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York. The invitation came in the form of a joint letter on Sunday to the campaigns from Mr. Bloomberg and David Westin, president of ABC News. The two had proposed a 90-minute session at Federal Hall National Memorial in Lower Manhattan that would be moderated by Diane Sawyer, one of the hosts of “Good Morning America” on ABC.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and ABC News have invited Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain to participate in a 90-minute, primetime town hall meeting to be broadcast live from Federal Hall in New York City, but the two campaigns said today they do not want the event to be broadcast by only one network. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., may be taking the suggestion of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and visit Iraq. However, Obama will not be joined by his opponent. (ABC News Photo Illustration)Obama, D-Ill., and McCain, R-Ariz., have indicated a willingness to participate in such a forum...

Salaries of California lawmakers and top elected officials should be cut to share the pain of a massive budget deficit, the head of the state's independent salary commission has concluded. Charles Murray said Friday that he plans to propose a cut of perhaps 10 percent when the California Citizens Compensation Commission meets Tuesday in Sacramento City Hall. "It's across-the-board for everybody under our power – from the governor on down," Murray said. If approved by the seven-member commission, a 10 percent cut would slice annual pay by amounts ranging from about $21,000 for the governor to $11,600 for legislators. Because...

Analysis: Obama's fast OK of town-hall debates with McCain a politically savvy move (06-04) 17:31 PDT Washington - -- Sen. Barack Obama's quick acceptance of Sen. John McCain's offer today to debate in town hall meetings across the country might seem puzzling, playing into the Republican's strength and exposing an Obama weakness. Even in top form on a victory night, Sen. John McCain delivers an indifferent set speech, often turning the most graceful prose to lead. McCain' facial expressions are forced, and he runs over punch lines with an odd sing-song delivery. In town halls, by contrast, he is at...

ABC News' Eloise Harper reports: Since the Pennsylvania primary Sen. Hillary Clinton has been calling for a debate with her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama. She continued her plea in Penuelas, Puerto Rico, standing outside a restaurant while less than 100 people gathered on a dirt walkway. Obama has rebuffed these requests and has instead begun campaigning in states that would be important for him in the general election if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee. "I was informed that Univision will sponsor a debate between Sen. Obama and myself about the issues affecting Puerto Rico," Clinton said. "I accept that...

It's Time Now for a Serious Public Debate on Our Iran Policy By Victor Comras I wrote here last month that the time has come for further clarification from the presidential candidates concerning their plans for dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. We have heard numerous sound-bites and even read a few short paragraphs issued by their campaigns on the issue, but each has shied away from providing any real substance. They all indicate that America must not allow Iran to achieve nuclear weapons capability. But none has yet indicated how they actually intend to convince Iran to change course. President...

KUDOS TO THE firearms debate at Bridgewater College ("Bridgewater College to Host Firearms Debate," April 9). This debate was excellent, informative, thought provoking. I publicly thank the college for bringing two such outstanding individuals in their fields to our community. The auditorium was filled largely with students. Prior to the debate, my companion and I expected the audience to be strongly biased against Second Amendment rights, handgun ownership, concealed-carry permits, etc. At no time could we detect any bias, either pro or con, by the level of courteous, enthusiastic applause given to both gentlemen after each of their statements and...

A remarkable thing happened Thursday: a press member wanted to ask Nobel Laureate Al Gore about the growing international food crisis and how it relates to ethanol and global warming hysteria. Not surprisingly, the man who cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate fourteen years ago mandating the use of ethanol wasn't available, and a spokesman for his hysteria-driving Alliance for Climate Protection declined to comment. Isn't that convenient? Regardless, the good news is that press outlets continue to recognize this unholy connection, and that someone, even at the conservative New York Sun, would deign to report it (emphasis added...

ANDERSON, IND. – Barack Obama’s campaign is refusing any more debates with Hillary Clinton until after the May 6th primaries, despite attempts by the Clinton campaign to offer a new debate structure. “We have participated in 21 nationally televised debates, the most in primary history, including four exclusively with Senator Clinton,” said Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs. “Senator Clinton refused an earlier invitation that had been accepted to debate in North Carolina.” The Clinton campaign objected to that debate because it was during Passover. Clinton campaign manger Maggie Williams sent a letter the Obama camp today, suggesting a Lincoln-Douglas style debate...

Brent Bozell sums up Barack Obama in 6 seconds (last seconds of the clip).

CNSNews.com) - Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) affirmed his friendship with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Thursday, telling Cybercast News Service he had spoken with his colleague after a Wednesday night presidential debate in which Obama mentioned Coburn in conjunction with an unrepentant former member of a domestic terrorist group.

INDIANAPOLIS | Hillary Clinton's campaign on Friday accepted Gary Mayor Rudy Clay's invitation to debate Barack Obama on urban issues in the struggling Steel City -- only to have the mayor promptly rescind the offer he had extended a day earlier. The Democratic presidential contenders squared off for two hours Wednesday night in Philadelphia. But the first half of the ABC News debate was dominated by what Obama decried as "gotcha" issues, including Obama's characterization of "bitter" small town voters and Clinton's faulty recollection of coming under sniper fire during a 1996 visit to Bosnia. Clay, an Obama supporter, said...

BURBANK – About 50 people are rallying at Disney Studios to protest questions that ABC News journalists asked the Democratic presidential candidates during a debate earlier this week. Protestors waved signs Friday that read “Restore the Fourth Estate” and “ABC is TMZ,” referring to the online celebrity site. Organizer Rick Jacobs criticizes ABC for focusing on the past gaffes of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, instead of issues like the war in Iraq and the American economy. Jacobs says he was offended that Obama was asked why he hasn't worn an American flag pin on his lapel. “Patriotism...

It’s rather amusing watching the liberal media launch a full-scale attack on George Stephanopoulos and Charles Gibson, with General Tom Shales of the Washington Post leading the charge. ABC’s Stephanopoulos and Gibson had the audacity to ask Obama some tough questions during the Democratic debate Tuesday night. Challenge Obama with well-informed questions on tax policy and politics? Wound the media favorite? How dare they? The fallout is fascinating. With members of the mainstream liberal media lunging at each others throats, it’s kind of like watching Hillary and Obama go at it. But here’s the deal: During the debate, Obama bungled...

(snip) BRIT HUME: ...about last night's debate in Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, moderated by ABC newsmen Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos. Some thoughts about this debate and the complaints about it from Mort Kondracke, (snip) Nina Easton (snip), and Charles Krauthammer.(snip) CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: The liberal critic's idea of what a question on the issues would have been Senator Obama, can you tell us how you are going to undo the diplomatic, economic, and all the other damage that the Bush administration has committed over the last seven years, and while you're answering, would you like a pillow? And the...

How Obama Fell to Earth By DAVID BROOKS Published: April 18, 2008 Back in Iowa, Barack Obama promised to be something new - an unconventional leader who would confront unpleasant truths, embrace novel policies and unify the country. If he had knocked Hillary Clinton out in New Hampshire and entered general-election mode early, this enormously thoughtful man would have become that. But he did not knock her out, and the aura around Obama has changed. Furiously courting Democratic primary voters and apparently exhausted, Obama has emerged as a more conventional politician and a more orthodox liberal. He sprinkled his debate...

NEW YORK (AP) -- ABC News drew both record ratings and a heap of complaints about how Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos moderated the Democratic presidential debate, criticism that Stephanopoulos on Thursday called a sign of how much people care. By midafternoon Thursday, more than 15,600 comments were posted on ABC News' Web site, the tone overwhelmingly negative. A prominent TV critic, Tom Shales of The Washington Post, said Gibson and Stephanopoulos "turned in shoddy, despicable performances." There was some positive feedback, with columnist David Brooks of The New York Times giving ABC News' performance an "A." The prime-time debate...

Huckabee & The Club friends at last? TRIBUNE-REVIEW By: Salena Zito When former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was running for the Republcian nomination for president, no one attacked him more often and with more conservative muscle than the uber-economic conservatives from The Club for Growth. Pat Tommey, chairman of The Club, wrote last October in The National Review that a flirtation with Huckabee even as a vice presidential candidate did a "great disservice to the conservative movement if it overlooks Huckabee’s stunning record of big-government liberalism.” So, it came as a bit of surprise to receive a blast e-mail from...

There's no debate: Pens trump politics tribune-review by salena zito Politics stops at the water's edge -- even if that water's frozen, apparently. About 57,000 more households in the Pittsburgh region tuned in to watch the Penguins beat up on the Ottawa Senators than tuned in to see two senators (Obama and Clinton) beat up on each other in the Democratic presidential debate, according to Nielsen Media Research. The hockey game played in 175,000 – or 23 percent – of all households in the Pittsburgh metro market, while the blame game played in 118,000 households – or 14 percent of...

April 17, 2008 -- PHILADELPHIA - By sheer, drowsy default, Hillary Rodham Clinton won last night's debate against Barack Obama. Only because she came the closest to describing why everyone in America is so tired of this whole endless psychodrama.It came as she was trying to explain why she and Obama have both been making up so much nonsense on the campaign trail lately. "We both have said things that, you know, turned out not to be accurate," Clinton said. "You know, that happens when you're talking as much as we have talked."

Maureen Dowd, among others, was less than impressed with Barack last night: [quote]The Democratic presidential candidates met in Philadelphia for a final face off before next week’s Pennsylvania primary. You know things have not been going well for Barack Obama when his most enthusiastic MSM cheerleader (well, after Chris Matthews and his “tingling leg”) Maureen Dowd writes this on the morning before the debate: Behind closed doors in San Francisco, elitism’s epicenter, Barack Obama showed his elitism, attributing the emotional, spiritual and cultural values of working-class, “lunch pail” Pennsylvanians to economic woes. The last few weeks have not been kind...

When Barack Obama met Hillary Clinton for another televised Democratic candidates' debate last night, it was more than a step forward in the 2008 presidential election. It was another step downward for network news -- in particular ABC News, which hosted the debate from Philadelphia and whose usually dependable anchors, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, turned in shoddy, despicable performances.

A fatigued and hesitant Barack Obama appeared badly rattled when peppered with almost relentlessly hostile questions combined with strident attacks from his rival Hillary Clinton during a televised debate this morning. Mr Obama, who holds a clear national opinion poll lead and seemed to have weathered recent crises before Tuesday's crucial Pennsylvania primary, gave what even his allies said was perhaps his poorest performance of the 21 Democratic debates. He was taken aback by the succession of questions about his recent comments that voters were clinging to religion and guns because they were "bitter", his association with a former member...

The leading Republican contenders to replace retiring Rep. John Doolittle pounded each other with charges of selling out their public service on Wednesday in a spirited debate reflecting the tense, closely watched primary race. Former Sacramento-area Rep. Doug Ose repeatedly assailed state Sen. Tom McClintock for trumpeting conservative credentials while serving as a career politician "taking inappropriate advantage" of some $300,000 in state per diem payments while living just miles from the Capitol in Elk Grove. McClintock lit into Ose for accepting $600,000 in farm subsidies for agricultural land he owned while serving on a House agricultural committee and making...

YOU ONLY HAD TO watch last night's Democratic presidential debate to understand why Hillary Clinton stays in the race. She's losing the nomination fight to Barack Obama in both the delegate count and the popular vote. But if bad things happen to her in a debate or while campaigning, she'll be no worse off. She'll still be losing. Her prospects of winning may be slightly more remote, but they aren't exactly bright now. But if bad things happen to Obama, that's another story. In a debate, he's bound to be asked questions about matters he'd rather not be front and...

Obama is quoted saying this during last night's debate: "I believe that the Constitution confers an individual right to bear arms. But just because you have an individual right does not mean that the state or local government can't constrain the exercise of that right," he said.

The last Democratic debate has finally concluded, and perhaps the last chances of ending the primaries early. Thanks to a surprisingly tenacious set of questions for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton from ABC moderaters Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous, Barack Obama got exposed over and over again as an empty suit, while Hillary cleaned his clock. However, the big winner didn’t even take the stage tonight. The first 45 minutes of the scheduled 90-minute debate (which went 15 minutes over) wound up focusing on the series of gaffes and stumbles from both candidates. Hillary more or less defused the Tuzla...

"The roles were clear from the start: Sen. Obama, the front-runner who resisted attempts to lay into his opponent; and Sen. Clinton, the challenger who needed to land some sharp, but subtle, blows in order to shake up the contest. She didn't waste much time. She was elusive when asked whether Sen. Obama could defeat Sen. McCain. "I think we have to beat John McCain. We have to," she said. Pressed further, she answered, "Yes. Yes. Yes. I think I can do a better job, obviously that's why I'm here." Both candidates dove into the opposition research vaults. Sen. Obama...

John Armor, Spence Campbell and Carl Mumpower will debate live on-air on WWNC 570-AM Asheville. Calls will be taken! WHEN: Tuesday, April 15, from 3PM to 5PM. WHERE: WWNC 570-AM in Asheville, 'Take A Stand' hosted by Matt Mittan - Listen via live streaming audio here

FLAT ROCK -- Signs reading "Mumpower for Congress" lined the entrance to the St. John in the Wilderness Parish Hall. They were a major point of contention prior to a debate Thursday. Carl Mumpower, who is a Republican candidate for Congress, and Flat Rock Mayor Bob Staton got into a war of words over the use of campaign signs at the debate. Organizers wanted to limit the size of political material on church grounds. Mumpower objected, saying the request amounted to a change in the rules and created a "rigged game." Staton fired back and called Mumpower an "arrogant a**."...

A few items today; one, a press release from April 1 (below) that I forgot to post because I have rocks in my head, and a pair of videos. The first link is to video of a URTV studio debate held last Thursday, March 27, in Asheville. Video requires flash and runs about 90 minutes. The second video is a YouTube clip of John on the 'To the Point' radio show from September 26, 2007, discussing the MoveOn "BetrayUs" ad and campaign finance.

How does one debate with a liberal? Sorry, under current rules, debate is not allowed. Just as our new national conversation on race is limited exclusively to authentic blacks, so is any semblance of debate with those on the left limited to those who accept the rules of debate, as defined by liberals. Just as Boy Clinton redefined the meaning of sex, so have liberals redefined the meaning of debate. If your view doesn't accord with the progressive, politically correct elites, the debate is relabeled an 'argument', your opinion is redefined as a 'judgment' and both are promptly dismissed. By...

RFFM.org Commentary by Daniel T. Zanoza, executive director I was sitting there, eating popcorn and watching one of the Republican presidential debates. Sounds like real entertainment, but that should tell you something about my life these days. Don't ask me which debate it was because they all seemed to run together like those old Bowery Boys episodes we were forced to watch before cable gave us 98 channels of infomercials. But next up for questioning was former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and the moderator was asking him something about the economy. Suddenly, I heard a voice, very low, but very...

“The Devil, proud spirit … cannot endure to be mocked” -- Thomas More [i] THE ANCIENTS KNEW the value of humor. Aristotle associated it with good health and contemplated the nature of levity. [ii] Cicero taught that humor should hold a place in the rhetorical toolbox of every speaker faced with the task of charming an audience.[iii] The ability to make others laugh continues to be one of the most popular resources for public speakers today. We admire a speaker’s quick wit and ability to generate mirth in the same way that we delight in watching a juggler’s eye-and-hand coordination...

Post #2 links to a 75-minute video of the September debate.

Tuesday night, Sen. Hillary Clinton made Democrats across America feel really good. Really good about supporting Barack Obama. For weeks, poll after poll has suggested that most Democrats could happily support either candidate. Not anymore. Who could be happy about supporting the whining, put-upon woman who appeared next to Obama Tuesday in Cleveland? If Hubert Humphrey was the Democrats’ Happy Warrior, Hillary Clinton is their Carping Crybaby. During the debate, she complained that “I seem to get the first question all the time.” Then she groused about being so busy with the campaign that “I hardly have time to sleep.”...

A 10/9/97 letter from Sen. John McCain to a constituent about the so-called Phoenix Lights is making the Internet rounds (at http://frankwarren.blogspot.com/2008/02/senator-john-mccain-tasked-air-force-to.html) just in time for next month’s anniversary commemoration in Scottsdale. But to the amazement of Dr. Lynn Kitei, no one has bothered to press the de facto Republican presidential nominee for an updated response. Kitei is a Phoenix physician whose world view went sideways when an apparent V-shaped UFO surprised untold numbers of Arizonans on the evening of March 13, 1997. Kitei had seen and even photographed strange lights in the night sky two months earlier, but the...

Love struck Hillary Clinton faints during debate with Barack Obama caught on tape.

Mike Huckabee, campaigning in Ohio yesterday, formally asked GOP rival John McCain for a two-man debate... [snip] McCain, the presumptive nominee, had said earlier in the day that his campaign had never heard from Huckabee about a debate, despite the fact that Huckabee had been making the request publicly since Mitt Romney dropped out. In a recent ARG Texas poll, McCain is leading Huckabee only by a few points: McCain 45, Huckabee 41. Senior staffers tell FOX that while the ARG poll can differ wildly at times, the crowds for Huckabee have been considerably bigger than the crowds for McCain;...

You don't have to love Hillary Clinton to feel her pain. By the end of Tuesday night's debate, she knew she had failed to change the dynamics of a race slipping away from her. The deflated look on her face telegraphed acceptance, even resignation. But any sympathy is tempered by the fact she has only herself to blame. Her uneven performance, punctuated by one of the strangest complaints I have ever seen in a presidential debate, likely dashed her last hopes of victory. The self-pity behind the complaint was shocking and unappealing. She started by being feisty - to a...

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., talks with the media on her campaign plane en route to Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008. Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama participate in a debate as NBC's "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert (L) moderates February 26 in Cleveland, Ohio. The gloves came off between Clinton and Obama Tuesday as they traded hard-hitting jabs at possibly the final debate of their marathon White House tussle.

Watching this debate, I was struck truly by how far the Democratic Party has inexorably lurched leftward. The laundry list of liberalism is a long one, and during the past three debates these two candidates have been ringing up the cash register. Bought more house than you can afford? No problem, we're going to freeze interest rates (have these two lawyers never heard of contract law?); college too expensive? We'll pay your way; can't afford health insurance? We'll tax the rich to cover you and your dependents. Since Hillary and Obama are cut from the same ideological cloth of liberalism,...

A good collection of articles on last night's debate. I couldn't believe she started things off with that whine about getting the first question.

Hillary Clinton needed a dominating performance in Tuesday night's debate in Cleveland to regain a foothold in the Democratic nomination battle. Instead, she became unhinged. -- snip --But whatever her goals in the short- or long-term, Clinton didn't help herself Tuesday night.

ok y'all, it's time to determine the drinkin word for tonights debate. In order to make it a little more difficult, and to avoid gettin completely smashed in the first 10 minutes since we have to go to work in the morning, (unless you're a Dem and don't work anyway), the following words are NOT allowed: Hope Change Bush Iraq Afghanistan War on Terror Let's see how creative we can get now and let's see if we can agree on one word by say, 6 p.m. eastern time..

Featured Debate discussing the veracity of Obama's claims that the US army is attacking the Taliban to get their weapons.

This is from the CNN debate on Thursday between Obama & Clinton.