The Tempest

Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: MCT Campus Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama highlight differences on policy proposals

Hillary Clinton is going to need nothing less than a divine miracle if she hopes to keep her campaign afloat beyond next week's March 4 contest in Ohio and Texas.

Sadly, Tuesday night's debate did not provide such a moment. Sure, she had a few great moments, and in a nod to the more hawkish wing of the Democratic party she succeeded in painting Barack Obama into a corner of naiveté. But overall, the debate came largely to a draw.

I'm sure there are Obama supporters who saw in it a win for the Illinois Senator, and some Hillary supporters who perceived a contrast between the seasoned stateswoman and the fumbling rookie. The point is that Obama's monumental February rise (he's won all 11 post Super Tuesday contests in a row, and an ever widening gap among delegates) would require more than policy jabs to slow its progression.

What Hillary really wanted is for an Obama foul-up that would stick. Something to grab headlines and provide fodder for the remainder of the campaign trail going into next Tuesday. What she got was a man who's proven to be a quick study in these debates, which formerly held a greater advantage for team Clinton. Her nuanced policy proposals tend to play better in these formats, as opposed to inspirational rhetoric geared towards screaming crowds of supporters, where Obama has made a name for himself.

There were a few moments where Clinton seemed to falter. Her joke referencing a recent SNL sketch failed to arouse laughter, and her complaint that she always answers first seemed petty, and she came off as a bad sport rather than the victim. When pressed by Tim Russert about an unfulfilled campaign pledge she made in 2000 to add 200,000 more jobs, her answer was so inane that it invites ridicule: "I thought Al Gore was going to be president when I made the pledge."

You can make the case that in these debates, this latest one on MSNBC being no exception, it's true that Hillary has had more to answer for than Barack. You could almost feel sympathy for her, until you remember that from day one she has boasted about her record, "experience" being the commanding term. It only makes sense then that the inconsistencies of her record be put under the spotlight, a spotlight that Tim Russert seemed happy to provide.

Continued...

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