Hillary struggled a little with the tax return question, fairly or not. Personally unless there's a line on there about income from drug trafficking, I'm not sure what the big deal is.

Obama needed a crisper answer on public financing. Perhaps he was thrown off guard by the overly aggressive way Russert phrased it.

Either Russert was fishing for 'gotcha' moments by rehashing the latest campaign controversy or he was cutting Hillary off in mid-sentence (though, granted, she does use that old high school debate tactic of talking FOREVER).

At a news conference afterward, Mrs. Clinton did praise the Independence Party for its "important and constructive role in political dialogue," particularly with its support of campaign finance reform, but she said pointedly later that her criticism of anti-Semitism in the party was meant to include Ms. Fulani.

"In recent months, internal battles have cast a troubling shadow over this party, raising questions about whether it will be hijacked and led in a wholly different and dangerous direction," Mrs. Clinton said.

There had been disagreement among Mrs. Clinton's advisers about whether she should speak to the party at all, but they said she decided that she might appear aloof or politically timid if she avoided the gathering. She and her advisers also decided that an attack on the party could promote her as a principled candidate in contrast to the mayor.

I felt like he might as well just have said to Obama, "could I get you a pillow?"

1. Her complaining about always getting asked the first questions during debates and referring to SNL as a media bias reference. It seemed like she was waiting for the right moment to use that refernce. It just didn't ring true for me at that particular moment. It seemed awkward and uncomfortable, kind of like the xerox line in the last debate.

2. The "me too" moment after Obama was asked abut Farrakhan. It seemed desperate and he made her look a little silly by contrasting denounce and reject. I see where she was going to go with it, I just don't think it worked.

He almost seemed ready to cry, the horror of it all.

Now, I was typing at the same time, so I may have missed something, but, good grief.

This is just too depressing.

I of course give Senator Clinton the benefit of the doubt because I see no reason to disparage her character as she loses this race to the extent to which TPM, MSNBC, and dKos would like. I suggest we consider the full exchange and her careful words without injecting Clinton Rules.

First, with regards to Senator Obama, he was asked two questions about Farrakhan. First, did he denounce Farrakhan's antisemitism. Second, did he denounce Farrkhan's endorsement. On the first, Senator Obama made it clear that he denounced Farrakhan's toxic statements. On the second, Senator Obama hedged and mentioned that he could not stop somebody from supporting him.

When Senator Clinton spoke, she did not make any direct charges against Obama. She used an analogy she experienced with the Independence Party (?) in New York. She specifically mentioned her New York senate race, perhaps thinking that Senator Obama was not as familiar with the stakes of at the debate in an election (coming from Illinois).

I think she did so in order to point out to Senator Obama the seriousness of making a tacit and public rejection of Farrakhan's support. I would like to suggest that she helped Obama there to make a more explicit rejection of Farrakhan. Senator Obama seemed to get it to an extent and then both denounced and rejected (while maintaining his composure). But, I think she felt it was important for Senator Obama to reject Farrakhan on that stage.

Senator McCain could easily exploit any opening Obama left on the issue of rejecting Farrakhan's endorsement as part of pro-Israel platform or message. As New York's senator, perhaps Clinton saw the need for Senator Obama to make an explicit statement of rejection on that stage (I know repetitive). But, note that her follow-up to Senator Obama was very senatorial (as in ginger and polite--many bloggers initially thought she was being gracious, or "classy" at TPM).

As an Obama supporter, I fully admit that Russert was AWFUL going after Clinton early on.  Of course, I thought some of the later "attacks" from Russert against Obama were even worse.

I think it is quite sad that Russert, et al, had to ruin tonight.

I felt that both candidates were ready and fired up.  Clinton did what she could to show that she was a fighter, and Obama was quite strong.

While I think, as BTD has said, that we all lost because of this sham of a debate, that we can still get a look at how the candidates looked.

where were you all when I suggested that the debates go back to the Women's League of Voters origins?:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/4/1662/07633

that said, I think the most discordant moment was when Hillary invoked an SNL  skit in her defense. (and since I called in sick to work today, I am attuned into how much her supporters were banking on it)

so many bloggers endlessly engage with MSM pundits.then scream at the trivialization.

I wonder how many Obama supporters regularly read David Brooks as opposed to Clinton supporters...

The SNL thing I didnt think was very effective at first, but then with the softball Obama questions and Russert coming short of grabbing and shaking Hillary, then it may have made people think.

Secondly, i think their aggressive questioning of Hillary was a good thing, Obama was clearly just trying not to mess-up, coupled with the softball questions resulted in Hillary being the one with substantive answers leaving Obama to either just agree and make a joke. It may well have backfired on them.

This time, she did it. She proved to have much better grasp of policy, to take strong positions on that policy, and to be willing to fight for it.

The media coverage, in conjunction with the debate questions, is noticeably different.  There is a sea change.

A mediocre performance by Obama, a bad performance by Clinton (opening by referencing SNL and complaining about the format? to win votes? or what?), though she had a nice moment when she called BS on Russert.