SC6 Gives the Most Honest, Intelligent Analysis on Tonight's Debate... At Least We Think So.

"Hey Bill, you and Hillary are right. Kucinich WOULD be as tall as us if he had any spine at all....."

Ok, Election 2008 officially started tonight - right here in the Palmetto State. Yep, we all got down and bowed at the greatness that is Jim Clyburn. Held at his alma mater (and that major beneficiary of his pork), SC State, I waited for the moment when one of the candidates mentioned him (those who bet on Joe Biden won). Enough of my partisan smartaleckness, I went into this completely open minded - mainly because the chances of me voting for any of them is pretty scarce, so I did my best to be impartial - for once...

Pregame Show

To to Clyburn lately, if I were Hillary I'd be worried... Jim is a political opportunist, but he sounds like he wants to back Barack Obama........ Hey, did you know that SC State is one of the country's most outstanding colleges?? I don't believe it either......The Brass Genitalia Award goes to those kooks at the school holding the Fair Tax signs. You make it out, gang??

Best Moments

#5 - Bill Richardson hunching over, head tilted to the side and squinting as he was asked a question, like my Grandfather used to.

#4 - Brian Williams saying to Hillary Clinton , 'back home in New York'. Riiiiight.

#3 - Joe Biden's one word answer on whether he planned to avoid saying the wrong thing on the campaign trail.

#2 - Williams cutting down the candidates when they stopped answering questions, and decided to talk about what THEY wanted.

#1 - MSNBC catching WIS's David Stanton slouched in his chair like Dr. Stephen Hawking before noticing the camera on him.

Worst Question

....If Al-Qaeda attacked two cities right now, what would you do?? Gee Brian, I'd call Marty McFly and Doc Brown, hop in the old DeLorean and go back in time . Then I'd stop Bin Laden at the point that he became a fanatic, and that would change the space-time continuum, thus creating an alternate reality. Good answer, you Moron??!!

Bush Made Me Do It

Asked to recall their biggets mistake, Clinton, Edwards, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden all decided to use the question to blame George Bush for their voting for the Iraq vote in 2003. Kudos to Obama, Kucinich, Richardson and Gravel for staying away from it, and being a little more introspective.

Asking the Bobby Question

Someone e-mailed a question on drug testing welfare recipients, a letter sent by Bobby to Sen. Leatherman a week ago. Leatherman called the suggestion "intriuging". Translation??? Son, you are a frickin' nutjob... don't write me again!

The Final Scorecard........

Scores are given on a check basis - the more, the better. It was unofficial - if the candidate made sense, was honest, or scored points somehow, they got a check. So here they are.....

John Edwards

Did you know his Dad was a millworker, and he was born in SC? Yeah, we ALL know by now. Edwards looked distracted, out of sorts. He talked about getting into specific plans, then he would only talk in generalities when the time came. He stared into space for an eternity when asked who his moral leader was. Yikes !!! I liked his story about having to leave the restaurant because his dad couldn't afford it. My guess is he was at the Blue Marlin. One check.

That Gravel Dude

Never have I seen a guy rise and fall in my eyes so fast in my life. The breath of fresh air in the first five minutes turned into the Dope Show. If this debate were at the Apollo, the Sandman would have broken out the broom! This guy made Admiral Stockdale look stable. Potted Plant? Recognize Iran? Two Checks.

Dennis Kucinich

DK was honest and forthright, but this twinkie is so weak and delusional about the world that even Democratic Party faithful cringe. Asked about the Cheney Impeachment, he broke out his personal copy of the Constitution - until he realized it was a Gideon's Bible that he stole from the Super 8 on Hwy 601. If you like your President warm and fuzzy - and your nation the laughingstock of the planet - Denny is your guy. Two checks.

Chris Dodd

Why is Dodd running? He is so vanilla in this Chunky Monkey race, you don't even notice him. Every position he has you can find in another candidate - unless you want public financing of elections, or welfare recipients to not take drug tests. His highlight? He spoke well of the other candidates on a few occasions. Guess that's why they're winning, eh? Two checks.

Barack Obama

I was stunned to hear Chris Matthews say afterwards how sophisticated Obama sounded in the debate. I thought he was nervous, uncomfortable and unfocused. How many times did he use the term 'enormous'? Every solution he had seemed to end in higher taxes. That will not translate well to the middle. No doubt he was the target a few times tonight. Kucinich and Gravel both went after him for his position on Iraq. I expected more, and it wasn't there tonight. Two checks.

Hillary Clinton

Remember the Dallas Cowboys porous "Prevent Defense"? Well, welcome to the Prevent Debater. Clinton said very little, did not answer questions a lot, and got a couple points wrong ( the Va. Tech shooter got his gun legally , Hill!) She did say the right things about Immigration, and towed the line okay on Wal-Mart. However, she played it way too safe, and as usual...... it all seemed a bit safe and calculated. Like Obama, we'll expect more in the future. Two checks.

Joe Biden

Like Dodd, Biden is a standard politician running in a mixed bag year. However, Biden is sharper on the topics than most of the others, and he does communicate in a way that gets his point across better. He steered clear of any infighting, mentioned Clyburn (good job of pandering, Joe) , and the "Yes" was what I would have said...... maybe that wasn't a good idea. Three checks.

Bill Richardson

Welcome to tonight's winner, and yes I am serious. If you judge strictly by overall knowledge of the topics, honesty and a real world sensible approach to solutions, Richardson should be the candidate the Dems elect. Of course, we ARE talking about the Democratic Party, so he has no shot. He railed against raising taxes, was honest about supporting Alberto Gonzales because they're both Hispanic, and got in a nice shot at Edwards $400 haircut by saying he wasn't a "Blow Dried Candidate". However, I thought his Iraq solution was a bit unrealistic. He also went long a few times. Overall, he should be this race's surprise candidate that breaks out of the pack - if voters don't judged by how he looks without a shirt on. Five checks.

Closing Thought

Someone needs to remind the candidates and the interviewers that there are a lot of issues out there aside from Iraq. The Dems like to call last November a mandate on the war, but there are many more reasons why the GOP lost. If these candidates think that they can just yell, "I'm for pulling out of Iraq" and they're going to win, they are in for a surprise. Balance , folks.

Hope this gives you nice Cliff Notes version of the debate. Believe me, reading this was probably less torturous than having to watch it. Tune in tomorrow for the big travel announcement, coming up next week!!