January 31, 2008
Watch This Debate
HOLLYWOOD -- CNN's Wolf Blitzer might be repeating the point too often during his pre-debate drumroll, and the countdown clock is, as always, overdone. But that doesn't mean the point is not true: We're about to watch history being made, the first-ever TV debate for a major-party WH nom between a (white) woman and a black man. John Edwards' departure on 1/30 sealed the deal: Dems will make history in '08.
What to expect? Edwards won't be on stage tonight, but his name will likely come up frequently as both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama court the parts of his hitherto constituency that are most likely to fall into their respective camps. Clinton will focus on "issues," like health care and poverty. Obama is likely to highlight a message he shared with Edwards: change.
Will tonight's tone resemble the constant gunfire in SC last week, or the GOP snoozer in Simi Valley 1/30? No one knows. We do know that Clinton is being strongly advised to keep her cool. What she's learned over the roller-coaster of the past month is her worst performances occur when she goes on the attack.
Obama needs to, well, win. Which is often a challenge for him; his rival is a skilled and well-prepared debater.
As the crowds continue to gather outside the Kodak Theater at Hollywood and Highland, one thing is a sure-fire bet: As soon as they walk onto the stage tonight, Clinton and Obama will have given an Oscar-worthy performance, one for the history books [JOHN MERCURIO].
Posted at 06:56 PM
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