Addendum to the Debate

Ambinder makes an interesting point:

"I personally have no problem with a "one-sided" debate, particularly one that focuses on the de-facto nominee, on the the guy who wants voters to elect him to the most powerful office in the land. It also is illogical for Democrats to assert that simply because Republicans are likely to bring up certain issues and associations in certain ways, the media or other Democrats ought to be prohibited from bringing those up."

I agree to a certain extent with this statement. First though I'd like to clarify, if I didn't make the case before, that my criticism of ABC's debate wasn't that they attacked Obama more than Clinton. Perhaps my examples of their shoddy and slimy questions were those pointed to Obama, but it wasn't the fact that they were to Obama that pisses me off, but rather I'm pissed off because questions of that vapidness were asked at all.

Secondly, I have no problems with them being harder towards the front-runner, although I'm not sure if it should be the media's job to make that case. It seems to be that the case should be made by the opposing candidate. Following Ambinder's logic it's like saying that in a basketball game the refs should rule against the better team as to 'level the playing field'. That doesn't make much sense.

His third point is a bit more complex. He's right to say that if the Dems claim that the Republicans will do this in the fall the media should have the right do it now. But it's the Democrats fault (ie: Hillary Clinton) to make these tactics acceptable. Either they are right or they are wrong and if they're wrong you shouldn't do them. It's like if I'm a boxer and I'm sparring with someone to prepare for a bout with Andrew Golota, and they kep punching me in the nuts because Golota's known to do that. Eventually by the time I manage to get in the ring I can't fight because my balls are the size of my head and who the hell can fight like that. The sad logic of it all is that no candidate, by this definition, will ever be sufficiently 'vetted'. As Obama said, if you're forced to defend every one who's ever had some tangential relationship with you you'll never because to talk about yourself. And coming from someone who has a relationship with some one who STILL has to defend theirself from charges of rape and lying, that argument seems a little...suicidal.