Obama says 'no' to another possible pile on and staging point for one attack after another as was the case with the ABC News debate.
While I don't agree completely with David Brooks' statement that a "journalist’s job is to make politicians uncomfortable, to explore evasions, contradictions and vulnerabilities," I do think that the questions Obama got in the ABC News debate were absolutely predictable, and for the life of me I don't know why he seemed so unprepared for them.
That notwithstanding, his poor performance is behind him, and regardless of what happens today in Pennsylvania, he does not need to go there again. Let me rephrase that. Obama is going to get the nomination, and the party does not need to go there again.
(Nor does the party need such as Clinton invoking an image of Osama bin Laden in a television advertisement that she ran yesterday questioning Barack's ability to lead in a crisis. See The New York Times.)
According to The Washington Post:
It looks like Katie Couric is being shut out on the presidential debate front.
Hillary Clinton had accepted a CBS offer to debate in North Carolina this Sunday, after "60 Minutes," but Barack Obama has turned down the offer and the session was officially called off today.
In political terms, Obama had little incentive for another face-off. He's comfortably ahead in the Tarheel State, and after drawing most of the tough questions in last week's ABC debate in Pennsylvania, he undoubtedly wasn't looking forward to a sequel.
The Clinton camp was quick to respond. Ace Smith, her North Carolina director, said in a statement: "It is unfortunate that Senator Obama has chosen to brush off the people of North Carolina by flatly refusing to debate. But we are willing to move forward with another time and location for the debate so that he has no excuse for not participating."
To which Obama spokesman Dan Leistikow replied, in a statement: "It's unfortunate that the Clinton campaign decided to play politics with this -- especially considering that Senator Obama agreed to a North Carolina debate long before Senator Clinton did, and their campaign took three weeks to consider and ultimately reject that proposal. Their attacks indicate they are really not looking for a debate but any forum to continue their negative, throw-the-kitchen sink campaign."
That notwithstanding, his poor performance is behind him, and regardless of what happens today in Pennsylvania, he does not need to go there again. Let me rephrase that. Obama is going to get the nomination, and the party does not need to go there again.
(Nor does the party need such as Clinton invoking an image of Osama bin Laden in a television advertisement that she ran yesterday questioning Barack's ability to lead in a crisis. See The New York Times.)
According to The Washington Post:
It looks like Katie Couric is being shut out on the presidential debate front.
Hillary Clinton had accepted a CBS offer to debate in North Carolina this Sunday, after "60 Minutes," but Barack Obama has turned down the offer and the session was officially called off today.
In political terms, Obama had little incentive for another face-off. He's comfortably ahead in the Tarheel State, and after drawing most of the tough questions in last week's ABC debate in Pennsylvania, he undoubtedly wasn't looking forward to a sequel.
The Clinton camp was quick to respond. Ace Smith, her North Carolina director, said in a statement: "It is unfortunate that Senator Obama has chosen to brush off the people of North Carolina by flatly refusing to debate. But we are willing to move forward with another time and location for the debate so that he has no excuse for not participating."
To which Obama spokesman Dan Leistikow replied, in a statement: "It's unfortunate that the Clinton campaign decided to play politics with this -- especially considering that Senator Obama agreed to a North Carolina debate long before Senator Clinton did, and their campaign took three weeks to consider and ultimately reject that proposal. Their attacks indicate they are really not looking for a debate but any forum to continue their negative, throw-the-kitchen sink campaign."
posted by Sid Cottingham | 10:34 AM
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