Clinton/Obama Debate. Who will be watching?

[EE-BO]

I watched the debate. And I think Hillary won again, as I think she did in Austin. I have followed her career and even seen her speak live before- and Austin was one of her best nights ever.

Tonight was more low key and serious and I think she fared better than Obama because of it. She is much smarter, more pragmatic and more specific.

Obama stumbled several times- as he did in Austin- and as usual I really have no clear idea of how he is going to achieve what he promises.

Plus he just made a lot of stupid and sweeping statements. He actually at one point made reference to Exxon's profits last quarter and said Exxon would not let go of those profits easily. As if he has the right to just take profit from a private company?! This is Hugo Chavez talk. Where are the Obamas when oil prices are low and oil companies are losing money? How about the millions of US citizens who make good livings in the oil industry? Do they not count like the auto industry workers Obama is so desperate to court?

Sadly, this will not matter. I still think Ohio and Texas are toss-ups, but those who have already drunk Obama's Kool-Aid are not likely to focus on the subtle nuances of how he has presented himself in these last 2 debates as compared to Hillary in terms of substantive commentary.

To be fair, I don't think Obama is an idiot- far from it. I just fear his Kennedy-like approach to campaigning- especially since he is, like Dan Quayle, no Jack Kennedy.

Kennedy was one of the worst Presidents of all time from a foreign policy perspective with the Bay of Pigs incident and how he initiated our involvement in Vietnam- a good idea, but not executed with a strategy to win definitively.

That said Kennedy was brilliant on social issues- easily the greatest President of all time along with LBJ in that arena. And on that score I do not see Obama with the same degree of vision to execute policy like Kennedy did- nor is there the same degree of need now that there was back then. It is not an equal world- and it never will be- but we are certainly at a point where it is not as critical on the priority list as it has been in the past.

At a time when this nation is financially suffering under the burden of social entitlements and amid a very tense international situation that was inevitable- I don't think this is the time for an Obama Presidency, assuming there is ever a time for him.