November 29, 2007
Hotline After Dark -- Get Some Reaction
Here is some reaction to last night's WH'08 GOP CNN/YouTube debate in FL:
Ex-WH adviser David Gergen: "On style, I think that the most presidential tonight were John McCain, who has found his voice again. ... And I thought Rudy Giuliani. But the candidate I think that the spotlight was shining on tonight and who really emerged as the most authentic and human was Mike Huckabee. Huckabee continually responded to questions with a compassionate, sort of human quality that I think will appeal to a lot of people in their homes" ("AC 360," CNN, 11/28).
Bill Bennett: "I think that Romney stood out tonight. I think he was loud and clear, conservative. He was all in, as you would say in Texas hold 'em, whether it was the Bible, or on abortion, or on guns, on anything else, even taking McCain on, saying, look, I'm going to reserve the right to do something that you may not approve of, Senator McCain. I thought he came across very strong. ... That opening debate between Romney and Giuliani was, I think, the pivotal moment of the evening. And I think points to Romney. I think Giuliani came across badly" ("AC 360," CNN, 11/28).
Dem strategist Jamal Simmons: "John McCain clearly won this thing" ("AC 360," CNN, 11/28).
CNN's Toobin: "I think it's worth pointing out that one word you almost never heard tonight -- I think you heard it twice -- was Bush. There is actually a Republican president of the United States, and he was almost never mentioned. Yet at the same time, on almost every issue ... virtually all the candidates except Ron Paul agreed with President Bush. So I think the problem the Republican Party has is they are trying to pretend George Bush doesn't exist, but they agree with him on basically everything. And that, I think, may be a problem in November" ("AC 360," 11/28).
CNN's Brown: "I think we all agree Huckabee did have a good night, but ... he got a lot of lay-up questions. You asked a preacher to talk about the Bible, and he's going to hit it out of the ballpark.
He is extremely likable. I mean, that's his gift. But he does have to get beyond that, beyond the charm, and get deeper into the issues. ... I don't think the other candidates really pressed him that hard for reasons that he is so likable" ("AC 360," 11/28).
FUNNY MONEY?
There was also talk of Giuliani facing questions about his travel expenses as mayor of NYC:
CNN's J. King, on Giuliani billing obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses: "We've been asking the former mayor's staff when he was mayor about this, his campaign staff about this all afternoon. They refused to go on camera. But Tony Carbonetti, who is now with the campaign, who was Giuliani's chief of staff when he was mayor did tell CNN this. He said quote, 'These were all legitimate expenses incurred while protecting the mayor, which is a 24/7 enterprise.' Tony Carbonetti though could not explain why charges that you would expect to be on the mayor's central budget or on the police department budget, were instead allocated to these obscure agencies. They say in the Giuliani campaign they are trying to get those answers but they insist they weren't trying to hide anything at all, that the government records are available" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," CNN, 11/28).
FNC's Cameron: "As a matter of ethics and appropriate behavior, the Giuliani campaign says there isn't one. And because he has acknowledged quite publicly that while he was married to Donna Hanover he was involved with Judith Nathan, they think this is old news. The question is whether or not it really plays to criticism of his personal life and whether or not his rivals pick it up and club him with it" ("Special Report," 11/28).
Bill Press: "He should have used Bernie Kerik's love nest down at Ground Zero. That would have been cheaper" ("Tucker," MSNBC, 11/28).
BRINGING IT BACK TO BILL
Bill Clinton saying he was against the Iraq war from the beginning received a substantial amount of coverage:
MSNBC's Carlson: "The question is not -- did Bill Clinton have the wrong position in 2003? The question is -- is he lying about it now? And he is and it's offensive to those of us who came out against the war before Bill and Hillary Clinton did. Like me, even. ... There were some Democrats who did. Brave Democrats who took a lot of crap for it. Bill Clinton was not among them. And for him to say now retroactively that that was his position when it demonstrably wasn't, is a lie" ("Live with Dan Abrams," 11/28).
FNC's Cameron: "The criticism from sources in the Obama campaign and the Edwards campaign, and from many of the Republicans in essence that this is once again another example of the Clintons trying to have it both ways. ... The types of rhetoric, the types of buzz phrases that became so damaging to Bill Clinton during his presidency that the Hillary Clinton campaign have always been fearful could reemerge and do her damage. Obama and Edwards are locked and loaded. They are ready to go after her as a double-talker again" ("Hannity & Colmes," 11/28).
CNN's Cafferty: "The point that matters to me is he was a private citizen at the time the war started. He wasn't president and he wasn't a member of the United States Senate. Hillary was. She voted for the war. And now, as a candidate for president, she has to defend that vote. I don't think it matters one way or the other what Bill Clinton thinks he may have said about his support for the war. It's irrelevant" ("Situation Room," 11/28).
FNC's Angle: "Senator Clinton's early stand on Iraq is a sensitive issue for her, one she has been trying to get voters to forget. But Bill Clinton has opened it right back up" ("Special Report," 11/28).
HOME IS WHERE THE FAMILY IS
And Chris Dodd was on "NewsHour" last p.m. as part of their WH '08 series:
Dodd, on moving his family to IA: "The decision was either to see them once every 10 or 12 days for a day and then leave again. And because of their ages, we could really pack up and come out here for six weeks, rent a little place, and made the decision to put Grace in a local public elementary school, in kindergarten, which has been terrific, and they've been wonderful to her. So I get to be with my family. ... To have them around and be with them has really made a wonderful difference."
Asked if he would put GOPers in his admin.: "I certainly wouldn't reject that at all. I think those kind of symbols are important. Franklin Roosevelt had Henry Stimson as his secretary of war. Bill Clinton had Bill Cohen. I remember strongly recommending Bill Cohen as part of that administration. I think the American people are looking for that. This idea that 50 percent plus one gives you the power to lead the country may be technically true, but you're not going to get much done" (PBS, 11/28). [KATHERINE LEHR]
Posted at 09:08 AM
Comments
John McCain demonstrated that he knows virtually nothing about history.
Luther | 11.29.07 12:31 PM
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What's funny is I once heard Romney discuss in a religious service the differences between the English versions of the Bible. He said he believed the 1611 KJV was the most accurate, and his knowledge of the differences was profound. I'm surprised he didn't discuss the fact that you can't interpret the English Bible to the letter, because there are so many versions of it.
Steven Rinehart | 11.29.07 02:46 PM
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