McCain and the Democratic Debate
Forget the Hollywood writers’ strike. Tonight’s televised slugfest between Clinton and Obama had enough drama and tension for an entire TV season. If there were a “sweeps” for televised debates, this CNN debate from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, would be the winner. Hillary and Barack, up close and personal, traded jibes on hot-button issues, including race, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, before a predominantly African-American audience. We may have heard the candidates’ views before, but never quite like this. Tonight will be remembered as a “he said, she said” encounter in which the two leading Democrats gave no quarter. Like all good drama series, we’re left anxious, waiting to see what will happen in the next episode.
While we wait for next week’s episode, of greater interest to those taking the long view was the way the debate ended. John Edwards cast a glance at the Republican race and pronounced John McCain the most likely nominee. The race this November — almost an eternity from now — will be about national security, he said:
“And it’s becoming increasingly likely, I think, that John McCain is going to be the Republican candidate.
Now, here’s what we have to be thinking about. Who will be tough enough and strong enough? And who can compete against John McCain in every place in America?..”
Interestingly, Edwards used this to segue into the need for the Democratic candidate to be free of any support from lobbyists in order to stand up to McCain’s strong record on campaign finance reform. Hillary turned it to a discussion of who would be a stronger commander-in-chief while, Obama, in his turn, quoted John F. Kennedy (”…never negotiate out of fear, but never fear to negotiate…”) as a way of emphasizing his call for a visionary foreign policy.
This final exchange between the candidates was long after the evening’s most dramatic moments, but it’s worth looking at as an indication of where this campaign may be heading and who the winner of this brawl gets to face. The maverick McCain may be the most interesting actor in the fall season’s new reality show — the one that features High Noon-style duels between a Democrat and Republican.