The Huckster, Paid Dirt Slinging, and Hillary Flies

Yesterday afternoon brought the Democrat Presidential candidates debate in Des Moines. It was just as big a snooze fest as the Republican debate the day before. This time, however, the moderator was all warm (for her) and giggly with her Dem pals on stage. She seriously hearts John Edwards and Bill Richardson. The other candidates participating were Hillary, Obama, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden. That's all. Just six on stage. The debate coordinators stuffed the stage with 9 Republicans, guaranteeing as little time as possible per candidate, yet only 6 on the Dem stage and lots more leniency in the time department. Not once did she tell the answerer to 'step it up', or 'let's pick it up', as she did to the Republicans. I expected her at any time to break out in spontaneous finger snapping with the Republicans.

But no, the moderator, aka Nurse Ratchet in the press accounts, giggled and downright chuckled a couple of times with Edwards and Richardson. The best moment was in an exchange between Hillary and Obama. Hillary thought she'd be oh so clever and ask the moderator - actually butting in - if a show of hands would be called for on global warming. The moderator said no. Hillary went on to say since she had trouble with the Republicans with that request she wanted the Dems to be on record that they all thought global warming was a real issue and they all wanted to work on the problem. The moderator froze Hill out. I was waiting for the frost to produce icicles.

Then, the question posed by the moderator to Obama : "How are you going to provide change when you have so many former Clinton advisers advising you?" Lots of laughter from the audience and Hillary started to do her faux cackle laugh. Hillary said, "I want to hear this." The moderator got all giggly. Then Obama went in for the kill. He turned to Hillary and said, "Hillary, I'm looking forward to you advising me as well." The audience busted a gut. It was great.

Hillary is so vain she doesn't even realize most people wonder why all her husband's former advisers and administration members are now working with Obama. She doesn't acknowledge how poorly it reflects on her. Tunnel vision.

Not much else happened. Many of the pundits think Edwards won. The moderator certainly gave him all the time he wanted to take. Obama did ok, too. Hillary was off her game. Again. Plus, something weird was going on with Hillary's left eye. It looked like she had a black eye, puffy and black underneath the eye socket. Maybe it was just a bit of an infection showing. It was distracting.

Joe Biden was asked about his racially bigoted remarks he's been caught on tape making this past year as he's campaigned. He did the usual arrogant denial. It's hard to find a more pompous politican than old Joe. I guess if you've been nothing but a politician since you were in your late '20's this is to be expected.

Another uneven twist between the Republican debate and the Dem debate - where the Republicans were tasked with doing a 30 second video on anything they wanted to say, the Dems did it live on stage. Hmmm.

Anyway, what is with the Huckabee surge in Iowa? He's up over Romney now and yet more and more of his record is being put out. Is it just because the Republican caucus goers are religious right and that is the only thing that matters to them? Huckabee is putting out the ads saying he'll be the Christian leader. What? Is he running for pastor or President? He's bad on immigration, taxes, paroled prisoners, foreign policy - he wants to close Gitmo and move the prisoners to jails in this country, etc. I'm not seeing much conservative policy there. I realize the fringe right or left of a party are those most reliable to vote in a primary but this is ridiculous. What's wrong with Iowa?

I heard today on a local radio talk show that Ron Paul is paying two former legislators, Republicans, from Arkansas during Huck's governor days $5,000 each to be in Iowa 'setting the record straight' on him. He is paying two people to slime Huckabee in Iowa. I thought Paul was all about integrity? No, actually I didn't as I live in south east Texas and his district is not some many miles down the highway. The two talk show hosts were volunteering to go to Iowa to talk about Ron Paul and his true nature.

And to Hillary. She's going on a 5 day tour of Iowa to get to all the counties. In a helicopter. Shades of John Kerry 2004. He did it in a bomber jacket. What will her jacket be? Her campaign is really feeling the heat of the uprising of Obama's numbers. For the most professional and experienced staff around, her people sure are making mistakes. Rather early in the season, too. First they attacked Obama's kindergarten days, then they accused Obama of having a political slush fund, then Billy Sheehan (husband of former gov of N.H. now running for Senate seat) stated that the Republicans will pose questions of Obama's former drug use and possible drug selling, for which there is absolutely no evidence, then that the Clinton campaign has lots of negative stories about him but they just don't want to get into them. Yeah, right. The Clintons, the original creators of the politics of personal destruction, only know how to attack and roll around in the mud. It's what they do.

Now Hillary is using her 88 year old mother, previously rarely seen, in tv ads in Iowa speaking about what a good person Hillary is. Well, what's a mother to say? And Chelsea is out there campaigning now, too. Pulling out all the stops.

"Trojan" is one word I don't want to hear coming out of Hillary's mouth. She was pandering to the Iowa audience saying that their Senator Tom Harkin was "working like a Trojan" to pass agriculture reform. The word conjures up other images she of all people shouldn't want to be associated with. Just sayin'.

And, as they all act as though they are running against George W. Bush, Hillary is now regularly working in the phrase 'cowboy diplomacy' into her foreign policy ideas.

News flash to the Dems - Bush is not going to be on any ballot this time around. Haven't they learned yet that all the negative, doom and gloom false charges from them just doesn't appeal to voters? Congress is still at all time low approval rates. The President, the lame duck, the incurious, the stupid guy at the White House, is still getting his legislation initiatives through.

Not bad for a cowboy.