McCain and Clinton Winners: But They Are Plumb Wore Out And Like Romney Says This Is Just The Second Inning In A 50 Inning Game

My wife and I watched the two debates this evening. I was going to post livestream, but I am not very good at typing on a laptop and besides, I was just too dang tired at the time.

Best line of the Republican Debate: McCain telling Romney, when Romney said he was the change candidate, that yes indeed you are the candidate of change.

I liked McCain's answers and comments although he seemed to get a little testy with Romney on the immigration issue. He looked tired, this has been a long haul for that man. Romney was too defensive and I felt he was splitting hairs, trying to be the great solutioner, like his buddy Bush was the decider.

Huckabee had a good zinger into Romney also: Romney told Huckabee not to characterize or mischaracterize his position, Huckabee said, "which one". I didn't really catch what Romney said, characterize or mischaracterize, but no mistaking what Huckabee said. Romney of course cried foul, this from a guy who went negative in Iowa. Romney and everyone else on the stage knows Romney has to win in NH to stay in the game.

Huckabee wasn't as strong as he was in Iowa, but he held his own. Ron Paul made sense, in that everything is connected to economics.

Rudy did his usual noun, verb, 9-11.

Republicans still talked the politics of fear: immigration, Islamic terrorism, border security.

Democrats talked the politics of the pocketbook: the economy, health care and the middle class. Hillary even said the "r" word.

She got fired up on the agents of change. Edwards was passionate, knowing that he had to blow away Clinton to stay in the race, Obama looked tired. I read somewhere that he smokes cigarettes, bet he wished he had a kool.

Best line of the Democratic debate: I thought there were three of them. Richardson said he had been in hostage negotiations that were more civilized than the debate. Hillary responding to the change versus experience tag team attack by Obama and Edwards and Hillary responding to the reporter's question about the likeability of Obama over her. He hurt her feelings, but she'll get over it.

Hillary had the energy, Obama looked tired like McCain and Edwards had passion, but it seemed to be the passion of desperation, knowing if he comes in third, he's out. Edwards also didn't look like his tan came out of a bottle tonight. I know that is strictly a personal judgement, but he always seemed just a little too tanned.

I didn't really like Obama's answer on the going into a state to get a terrorist leader if we really knew he was there (read Osama Bin Ladin). Obama said that if we knew for certain the leader was in a place then it was alright for us to go and get him. Someone said that's the Bush doctrine. Clinton answered it correctly for me, we know where he's at, we send in the missles then we tell the president of the country that the missles are coming.

I read on some blog this evening that Huckabee's strength is he knows that the average American doesn't care about the trade balance or Wall Street Woes but they do care about trying to raise a family on a diminished dollar and being a single parent. Huckabee understands what it is like to be an average American. He is one of us.

One final thought: The democrats talked a lot about big corporations and greed. Who owns these big corporations? The stockholders do. And who are the stockholders? Our insurance companys, our pension funds, our banks, our 401k companies, us.