Top Items:
Greg Mitchell / The Huffington Post:
The Debate: A Shameful Night for the U.S. Media — In perhaps the most embarrassing performance by the media in a major presidential debate in years, ABC News hosts Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous focused mainly on trivial issues as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama faced off in Philadelphia.
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David Brooks / Campaign Stops:
No Whining About the Media — Three quick points on the Democratic debate last night: — First, Democrats, and especially Obama supporters, are going to jump all over ABC for the choice of topics: too many gaffe questions, not enough policy questions. — I understand the complaints, but I thought the questions were excellent.
The Huffington Post:
ABC Hosts Heckled After Debate: “The Crowd Is Turning On Me” — Reflecting what seemed to be the main consensus of the night - that ABC botched this debate, big time - Charlie Gibson tells the crowd there will be one more, superfluous commercial break of the night and is subsequently jeered.
Senator Hillary Clinton / New York Times:
Democratic Debate in Philadelphia — The following is a transcript of the Democratic debate in Philadelphia, as provided by the Federal News Service. — PARTICIPANTS: — SENATOR BARACK OBAMA — MODERATORS: — LOCATION: THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER, PHILADELPHIA
Discussion:
Salon, Daily Kos, Dick Polman's American Debate, The Carpetbagger Report, No More Mister Nice Blog, Lonewacko and BatesLine
Greg Mitchell / Editor and Publisher:
Clinton-Obama Debate: ABC Decides Top Issues Facing Americans Are Gaffes, Flag Pins and '60s Radicals — NEW YORK In perhaps the most embarrassing performance by the media in a major presidential debate in years, ABC News hosts Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous focused mainly …
Marc Ambinder:
The Score Card — Keeping the score card, there's no way Obama could fared worse. Nearly 45 minutes of relentless political scrutiny from the ABC anchors and from Hillary Clinton, followed by an issues-and-answers session in which his anger carried over and sort of neutered him.
Discussion:
Don Surber, AMERICAblog, Taylor Marsh, The Fix, Hot Air, A NEWT ONE, GINA COBB, National Review, PunditGuy, Althouse, Weekly Standard Blog, Spin Cycle and JustOneMinute
Will Bunch / Philly.com:
An open letter to Charlie Gibson and George Stephanapoulos — Dear Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, — It's hard to know where to begin with this, less than an hour after you signed off from your Democratic presidential debate here in my hometown of Philadelphia …
Washington Post:
Obama Pressed in Pa. Debate — Gaffes Are a Focus as He Spars With Clinton — Sen. Barack Obama repeatedly found himself on the defensive here Wednesday night as he sought to bat away criticism of his remarks about small-town values, questions about his patriotism and the incendiary sermons …
Discussion:
TownHall Blog, Open Left, Blue Crab Boulevard, BuzzFlash.org, Below The Beltway and Washington Post
The Big Trunk / Power Line:
BARACK OBAMA'S SONG OF HIMSELF — I watched last night's candidate forum in Philadelphia with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on ABC. The New York Times has posted a good transcript of the debate. Although the focus was not on policy questions, I thought it was nevertheless a useful and revealing discussion.
Discussion:
Pajamas Media
New York Times:
Clinton Uses Sharp Attacks in Tense Debate — PHILADELPHIA — Senator Barack Obama found himself consistently on the defensive as he and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton met Wednesday night in a tense debate that left him parrying questions and criticism on issues including values …
Discussion:
The Politico, The Caucus, Washington Post, Political Machine, USA Today, Gawker, Boston Globe, American Street, ScrappleFace, ABCNEWS and Jules Crittenden
ABCNEWS:
Clinton, Obama Find ‘Brotherly Love’ at Philly Debate — For Clinton, Obama Last Chance to Settle Scores Before Pennsylvania Primary — Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama opened Wednesday's presidential debate on a point of accord: neither would answer head-on whether they'd be willing to name the other as vice president.
Sam Boyd / American Prospect:
THESE QUESTIONS ARE A DISGRACE. — A woman asks if Obama “believes in the American flag” because he doesn't wear a flag pin. — Charlie Gibson says that questions about the flag are “all over the internet” — along with Pamela Anderson's sex tape, cats with bad grammar, and Rick Astley.
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Fall-Out — I agree largely with Ambers:
The Fall-Out — I agree largely with Ambers:
Discussion:
The Glittering Eye, The Caucus, Boston Globe, FiveThirtyEight.com, Below The Beltway and TigerHawk
Mark Hemingway / The Corner:
And the winner is... ...McCain by a landslide! A reader writes in:
And the winner is... ...McCain by a landslide! A reader writes in:
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Live-Blogging Pennsylvania — 9.51 pm. The big winner is John McCain.
Live-Blogging Pennsylvania — 9.51 pm. The big winner is John McCain.
Zogby:
Newsmax/Zogby Poll: Deadlocked in Pennsylvania! — UTICA, New York—With just five days left before Democratic primary voters go to polls to decide who they want to be their presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois are locked in a battle that is too close to call …
Associated Press:
AP-Yahoo poll shows McCain winning back unhappy Republicans — WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are no longer underdogs in the race for the White House. To pull that off, John McCain has attracted disgruntled GOP voters, independents and even some moderate Democrats who shunned his party last fall.
The Huffington Post:
Hillary Clinton On Southern Working Class Whites In 1995: “Screw 'Em” — During the past week, Sen. Hillary Clinton has presented herself as a working class populist, the politician in touch with small town sentiments, compared to the elitism of her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama.
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Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:
Abortion-rights lawmakers to receive Communion … WASHINGTON (AP) - Catholic members of Congress who publicly support the right to abortion will trek to Nationals Park Thursday for a Mass celebrated by a pope who has said such lawmakers should not receive Communion.
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