CHENEY: Burn everything! Apparently the courts are going to hold us accountable for what we’ve done.
BUSH: What we done? We done what good durnt we? You am tell Bush we on side of right am!
CHENEY: You moron! This could be the end of the both of us.
BUSH: Bush am sad. Bush am burn!
CHENEY: Not in the… good lord the smoke…
Biden is once again being called the winner of the debate, and it’s once again being called irrelevant. I’ll save up my disappointment until after the primaries, but unless a miracle happens Clinton, Obama, or Edwards will win. Not that they’re not fine candidates! Other than Edwards who built his fortune with pseudo-science, on the backs of good doctors.
Joe Biden once again stood out from the pack by being knowledgeable and being able to concisely state his case in support of his positions - the media is even starting to mention that he was at the debates, so that’s a positive sign. He especially stood out in the questions where he wasn’t one of the first people to respond. When he responds first, the others tend to crib his response (”oh well i agree with joe”, “yeah, absolutely, privacy, yeah”). When he responds last the others run all over the map because for the most part they have no idea how to respond. This was made evident during the question about imports from China. Biden answered last, the others weren’t allowed to crib:
BIDEN: Look, it’s not the agreement, it’s the man. Under the WTO, we can shut this down. What are they all talking about here??? (audience cheers) It’s about a president who won’t enforce the law. (big cheer) When they contaminated chicken, what happened? They cut off all chicken going in from Delaware, a $3 billion industry, into China - they cut it off. We have power under this agreement. I don’t know what anybody is talking about here. Enforce the agreement. Shut it down.
Of note, Bill Richardson did an outstanding job responding to questions, often referencing his actual, real experiences as Governor of New Mexico.
All of the candidates failed on the issue of contractors in Iraq, supporting the idea that paying someone $100k/annum to go there by choice was too much when soldiers are getting $30k. We have diplomats refusing en masse to go. Most of the people in the room agreed they probably wouldn’t go to Iraq for $100k. The soldiers are going because they don’t have any other option but to go. Should their benefits be re-examined and adjusted? Well, yes, they should be adjusted regularly. But comparing their pay to the contractors’ pay is more empty populist rhetoric. (addendum: looking back, nobody even addressed this, but it seemed unfair to let it pass and color the ensuing responses)
It’s a shame that more people aren’t watching these damned things…
So if the war was defunded, President Bush would basically keep troops in Iraq and force them to fight with spoons:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/04/20070403.html
He would keep the same number of troops in Iraq, not let the ones who were supposed to go home go home, reduce their quality of life, and underequip the ones away from centers of engagement, not repair vehicles, etc. Also nice because the transcript underscores how these question and answer sessions work:
PRESIDENT: Let’s see here — Baker, Baker. Are you here? Yes, there you are.
He’s actually calling out for the questioner attached to a question he already had and was prepared on. He doesn’t even know if the reporter that the question “came from” was at the press conference.
After watching as much of tonight’s debate as I could stomach, I am now supporting Joe Biden for President. It seems to me whenever there’s been a hearing he’s been the one who asked the honest, insightful questions. Hopefully he does better than Wes Clark and Bill Bradley.