Great Democratic Debate

It's the middle of the night here in Israel, and I'm watching the Democratic debate on CNN. I'm enjoying it immensely. Unlike other debates I've watched, that were pretty boring, this one is very interesting. All three candidates have done very well, mixing in real discussion of the issues with a fascinating kind of bickering and jokes.

Hillary Clinton and John Edwards showed great understanding of the issues, bombarding Obama with criticism. I think Clinton was also successful in emphasizing her experience. Obama was successful in deflecting most of the criticism and showing his sense of humor (not that a sense of humor should be one of the considerations in selecting a president).

Nobody won this debate. John Edwards might have gained the most out of it, reminding voters that he's still around and still serious. I personally don't like him and don't want him as president, or even vice president, but I was impressed by Edwards's performance tonight.

Hillary Clinton Shouldn't Quit

It seems probable that Barack Obama is going to win the New Hampshire primary by a large margin. As a Clinton supporter, I hope she won't drop out of the race after such an outcome. Citizens in the other states have a right to make their own choices. Just because Democrats in two states prefer Obama doesn't mean Democrats in the whole United States prefer him, too.

John Edwards shouldn't quit either. I don't like him and don't want him to be president, yet I still think voters should have the chance to decide whether to vote for him or not. The same applies to the main candidates on the Republican side as well.

Other than candidates with absolutely no chance of winning, like Dennis Kucinich among the Democrats and Duncan Hunter among the Republicans, candidates should not drop out of the race until the delegate count makes it impossible for them to win.

The Democrats' First Debate

The first debate among Democratic presidential hopefuls started at 2 am Israel time last night. Despite the late hour, I watched the whole thing. I didn't see anything revolutionary. Most of what was said there could have been anticipated in advance, on issues such as Iraq, Iran and the war on terror. Nevertheless, the debate gave me some new perspective on some of the candidates.

I've been leaning towards Hillary Clinton, but I don't know if she is electable. Even though she did a good job last night, now I'm not as sure that I will vote for her, not so much because of her performance, but rather the performance of her rivals. Barack Obama was very impressive. John Edwards, who in 2004 and until now seemed to be an inexperienced pretty boy, also seemed intelligent and knowledgeable and has interesting ideas.

Christopher Dodd is a new face to me. I've heard of him before, but this is the first time I've heard him speak. He made a good impression as well.

Even Dennis Kucinich did a good job. I don't support his views (other than the impeachment of Vice President Cheney, which would be a blessing to the world), but he had some good arguments last night.

Former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska was last night's entertainment. He's a grumpy old man who should join the cast of the Daily Show, filling in for Lewis Black when Black is not available.

The two people who I thought didn't do so well were Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Bill Richardson. I never considered Biden as someone I'd vote for, but I did think of Richardson as a serious possibility. I am now much less likely to vote for Richardson. I didn't like the fact that it took Richardson time to call for the attorney general's resignation just because he is Hispanic. Most of his policy answers weren't very convincing, either.

I think I'll stay up next week to watch the Republican debate, even though I won't be voting in the Republican primaries. I like this kind of stuff.