The Dems Debated...Again

The 2008 Democratic presidential aspirants met in debate for what seems like the fifty-seventh time tonight. (And this is just 2007!)

The event, held at Chicago's Soldier Field, was co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO.

If you didn't see it, here's my take on it.

As has been the case with every previous Dem gathering of this long campaign season, Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware overall demonstrated a superior knowledge of the issues and a capacity to communicate.

Biden also demonstrated his old "foot in mouth" tendency when, in response to the widow of a West Virginian miner, after expressing condolences and giving a perfunctory response to her question about improving mining safety, quickly launched into discussion of a previous foreign policy question. In doing so, Biden came across as insensitive.

Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut bruised Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, taking Mr. Obama to task for his apparent willingness to disregard Pakistan's sovereignty in going after al-Qaeda. Acknowledging that Pakistan's President Musharraf is "no Thomas Jefferson," Dodd nonetheless painted Obama as reckless. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York agreed with Dodd.

Speaking of Clinton, she turned in another safe performance, one that won't hurt her ever-growing support among Democrats nationwide.

As usual, Obama seemed stiff and ill at ease in the debate format. His lack of seasoning in international affairs was once more apparent. To me, it's a tragedy that Obama didn't resist the siren call of a 2008 bid for the presidency. In the unforgiving atmosphere of post-1972 presidential politics, when you only get one real shot at the White House, it's unlikely that a guy who could have one day made a credible bid for the presidency will get a second chance.

Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio seemed to really win the Labor crowd over, especially with his opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which he said that he would rescind, and the World Trade Organization.

Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson seemed almost to fade from view tonight. This is especially surprising when it comes to Edwards, the presumed favorite among Union households. Biden went after Edwards, who had presented himself as the only Dem with superior credentials from Labor's viewpoint, with a withering attack and a ringing defense of his own Union street cred.

There was a lot of pandering in this event. For all the standard issue inveighing against special interests that come from candidates of both parties, they all still play up to interest groups and the members of such groups encourage the candidates in doing so.

None of what I've said has anything to do with who I will or won't vote for. I don't do endorsements.