(HOST) Veteran A-B-C News correspondent and commentator Bill Seamans has been thinking about the recent exchanges between the two leading democratic presidential candidates – and what they’re most likely to do next.
(SEAMANS) After the latest primaries, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are looking toward their next big tv debate.
The last Clinton-Obama face-off in Los Angeles was considered a disappointing love match by debate aficionados who, like the Nascar crowd, tune in hoping to see some blood. And now the punditocracy have reached a consensus that the probability is high for a really aggressive fight when they debate again next Tuesday.
With the critical Texas and Ohio primaries coming up just a week after their confrontation, Clinton and Obama are expected to seize the opportunity to land some very hard blows to try to hurt their opponent heading into their two most critically definitive contests. Obama could have an opening in the debate by challenging Clinton for reneging on her written pledge not to participate in the Florida primary as requested by the Democratic National Committee. As you know, Hillary broke her word and entered the Florida primary and claimed a victory and its delegates although Obama did not participate. Obama might ask what good Hillary’s signature word of honor would be as President.
The Clintonistas, meanwhile, having used up the suggestions that Obama is a secret Muslim agent and was a drug dealer now are alleging that Obama has plagiarized the speeches of others to achieve his highly admired oratory. Howard Wolfson, Hillary’s press director, charged that, in his words, "Obama’s rhetoric isn’t his own."
In the meantime, the stealthy Mean Machines on both sides continue driving to run over their opponent’s image. If they are withholding any more scandalous allegations we are likely to suffer them spread by their mutual Surrogate Smear Corps.
It’s apparent that internecine warfare – Clinton versus Obama, McCain versus his conservative base – has distracted both parties while we the people wait for the ultimate debate between the Democratic and Republican nominees heading into the Presidential Election just nine months from now. ‘Till then, their vicious in-house battles are somewhat less than inspiring.
Regretfully, as the persons who have emerged from our 400-million population as candidates for the most powerful office in the world ridicule and insult each other, the critical problems facing our nation lie unanswered by the most disrespected government in our modern political history. One cannot help wonder what our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, who are laying their lives on the line every day, think when they hear such a low level of negative campaigning back home – what do they think about the demoralizing political noise on which their immediate futures depend – especially after they are told that there will be a "pause" or delay in starting their withdrawal until at least after next summer.