Clinton has since responded to the media’s gross distortions of her very moving words as “a valedictory speech” by forcefully demonstrating she’s still very much in the game both in her recent policy speeches and in her performance in last night’s debate at Cleveland State University in Ohio.
Media bias aside, throughout the debate, Clinton once again trumped Obama on substance, far surpassing her opponent with her deep knowledge of issues related to health care, economic concerns, and foreign policy.
On foreign policy, Russert posed the question first to Clinton about Putin’s successor in Russia. According to Clinton’s analysis, Dmitri Medvedev will likely serve as a puppet for Putin, continuing to carry out his policies.
When asked the same question, it was apparent from his blank expression that Obama knew absolutely nothing about the upcoming election in Russia, which forced him to agree with Clinton: “Well, I think Senator Clinton speaks accurately about him. He is somebody who was hand-picked by Putin. Putin has been very clear that he will continue to have the strongest hand in Russia in terms of running the government."
The candidates sparred over the invasion of Iraq as they have in past debates, however, this time, Clinton finally called Obama on his repeated portrayal of his opposition to the war “from the beginning” as if he had actually voted against it. She pointed out that he was ineligible to vote at the time and that since he became a US senator, the two have voted identically on funding the war.
Clinton also pointed out that during the time Obama has chaired a subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee on Europe, he has yet to call a hearing on oversight of the war in Afghanistan, which led to a very startling statement by Obama on how he would as president respond to perceived threats to the United States.
The issue arose when addressing Obama, Russert said: “I want you to respond to not holding oversight for your subcommittee. But also, do you reserve a right as American president to go back into Iraq, once you have withdrawn, with sizable troops in order to quell any kind of insurrection or civil war?”
After excusing himself for neglecting his subcommittee duties in order to campaign, Obama replied in part with a statement that completely contradicts his oft-repeated opposition to the invasion of Iraq and in fact, sounds like a verbatim quote from enumerable speeches by President George W. Bush:
“Now, I always reserve the right for the president -- as commander in chief, I will always reserve the right to make sure that we are looking out for American interests. And if al Qaeda is forming a base in Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American homeland and our interests abroad. So that is true, I think, not just in Iraq, but that's true in other places. That's part of my argument with respect to Pakistan.”
Brian Williams then called for a break, refusing to give Clinton time to respond to Obama’s statement that might easily be interpreted as his determination - if elected president - to keep Bush’s preemptive war policy on the table, a policy Bush has used time and again to justify invading Iraq.
In a final question, the candidates were asked to name a vote in their careers they now regret. Hillary Clinton mentioned her vote on the Iraq War resolution, which she has often explained was a vote to authorize the use of force only after allowing the inspectors in Iraq to finish their work.
Barack Obama mentioned his vote to allow congress to intervene in the Terry Schiavo case. He inflated his resume by adding that “as a constitutional law professor, I knew better.”
Fact check: Obama was never accorded the status of professor; he was a lecturer of constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1993 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004.
In the 20th Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton once again demonstrated she is by far the better qualified candidate to serve as president of the United States.
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