He Said, She Said
The "he said/she said" debate was a historic first face-off between the first viable African-American and the first viable female candidate for president. But forget the history for a moment. Ask yourself: When was the last time you tuned into a political event and had no idea what would happen? Would Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama snub or snog, brawl or be genteel, rumble or punt?
Then the CNN Democratic debate started, and I realized I had to be insane to think that either senator might mix it up. This is politics, after all. Of course, the candidates decided to leave the serious sniping to staff and surrogates.
On the issues, little separates the Democratic duo, and where the line exists, Clinton tends to be in the center. Both want universal health care and differ over whether to mandate it. Clinton is right to argue that there are people in America who can afford health care but won't buy it.
"I don't see those folks," Obama argued. Sorry, he's just wrong.
Obama is likely to turn off many voters by dismissing complaints about illegal immigration as "scapegoating."
Then again, Clinton's argument that giving illegal immigrants driver's licenses would be "putting them, frankly, at risk" was hardly downright silly.
But when it comes to Iraq, Clinton does not make sense. When she argued that no one could have guessed "how obsessed" President Bush was about Iraq back when she voted on the resolution to authorize the use of force in that country, Clinton handed Obama a great line. After all the time Clinton has spent saying America needs a president ready to take on America's problems from day one, Obama answered, "It is important to be right from day one."
As Clinton tries to run from her Iraq vote, to act as if no one knew the Iraq War resolution would result in a war, she asks America to believe that she was misled. And still Americans should trust her? Clinton's hit on Bush for leaving office with 130,000 troops in Iraq makes it clear that there is a real danger that Clinton, if elected, might cut and run from Iraq.
Before the debate Thursday morning, I asked John McCain what he expected to see when Obama and Clinton went head to head for the first time. McCain predicted the fireworks would make his dust-up with Mitt Romney seem "like a Sunday school picnic compared to what's going on between those two. I didn't accuse him of being a slumlord."
McCain was referring to Hillary Clinton's remark during the previous debate when she hit Obama for lawyering for big-donor Antoin "Tony" Rezko and "his slum landlord business in inner-city Chicago." Rezko has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud, attempted extortion and money laundering. At the same debate, Obama hit Clinton for lawyering for Wal-Mart.
McCain paused, then added of Romney, "Although I think he might be a slumlord." Turns out that the Democratic debate was a Sunday school picnic. If you want to hear the real fireworks, you'll have to wait for Bill.
E-mail Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@sfchronicle.com. To find out more about Debra J. Saunders, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
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"OUR" MOST CROOKED "CORPORATISM"!
OUR “MOST BELOVED” AMERICA'S MOST CROOKEDLY EVIL ANTI-AMERICAN “CORPORATISM”!
Most Respectfully, This Most Earnest Patriotic Appeal was also submitted to almost all of The Heads Our Churches and to almost all of The Presidents and Provosts of Our Universities – “personally”!
UNIVERSAL PSEUDO-CORPORATISM!!!
This Most-Loving Prayer was also addressed to Pope Benedict XVI – Most Faithfully!
THE WORST CRIME, EVER, AGAINST ALMIGHTY GOD'S HUMANITY – FOREVER?
(In True Honor to Dr. Martin Luther King's Most Patriotic Legacy!)
The Nucleus of Our Whole World's Ever-Growing Suicidal Nuclear Crisis is created by No Other than the most Defrauding and Most Greedy Ultra-Conservative and by the most Ultra-Libertine Politico-Religionism everywhere – Universally! Our Whole World has no True Religion anywhere!
The Nucleus of The Most-Dominant Over-Ambition of Our Universal True Atheism is none other than The Most Voracious Globally Inhuman “Corporatist” Economic Exploitation; all by the most Extreme Global Disregard to The Most Fundamental UNIVERSAL HUMAN LITERACY and also to The Most Fundamental UNIVERSAL GOOD-SAMARITAN HEALTH INSURANCE. These two together Indeed Constitute ALMIGHTY GOD'S TRUE UNIVERSAL ELEMENTAL DEMOCRACY'S Most Vitally Essential Means for TRUE INDIVIDUAL EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to reach THOSE INDISPENSABLE ALMIGHTY GOD'S INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTAL HUMAN GIFTS (RIGHTS), NO-MORE, NO-LESS!!!
All of Our Vast World-Wide Perpetually Shackled – AS ILLITERATE AND INFIRM – HUMANITY in Our Western World is ever more and more so “CRUCIFIED” as threatened with impunity by instilling in them “Our” Religionist-Inculcated Utmost Fear of “GOING TO HELL” if they have “NO FAITH” – that is, if disobedient to “Our” Politico-Religionist False “Leadership”; as just like telling them “THEIR ‘HEAVEN' IS LIVING IN OUR SATANIC EXPLOITATION”!
Our Totally Politico-Religionist Western World has always even tried to expand Our Most Voracious Greedy Corporatism to Our Islamic Eastern World's “Friendly” Governments, but I most-strongly suspect that Islamic Religionism has an opposite but Equally Religionist-Inhuman Self-Defense: when Our Western Corporatist Inhuman Intervention reach their Eastern Critical Religionist Level – as in Our Unending Warring Perplexity with The Islamic World – Their Islamic Religionist Counteracting General “'Inspiration'-To-Go-To-Heaven” is no other than Their Ultra-Terrorist “Salvific” Individual Self-Immolation!
ALL OF THESE, FOR SURE SO FAR, ARE THE IRREFUTABLE PORTENDING SYMBOLISM OF A-MOST CERTAIN-NUCLEAR ARMAGEDDON: THERE IS NOT THE SLIGHTEST DOUBT ABOUT THE CERTAINTY OF THE WHOLE WORLD'S TOTAL HOLOCAUST! MAY WE TRULY PRAY, SO THAT WE ALL – TRULY AND SOLIDLY HONEST AMERICANS – REALLY ENABLE THE ALMIGHTY GOD TO BLESS (SAVE) OUR MOST BELOVED TRUE AMERICA!!! OTHERWISE, ANY OTHER “CRIME” OR “ABORTION” IS AN INNOCENT BY-PRODUCT!!!
Comment: #1
Posted by: Octavio Saenz MD Sr
Fri Jul 2, 2010 7:51 PM
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"OUR" MOST CROOKED SATANIC RELIGIONISM!
OUR “MOST BELOVED” AMERICA'S MOST CROOKEDLY SATANIC ANTI-AMERICAN RELIGIONISM!
Most Reverently, This Most Earnest Patriotic Appeal was also submitted to both All The Presidents of The Universities, and to Their Provosts – submitted to both personally.
UNIVERSAL RELIGIONISM !!!
This Most Loving Prayer was also addressed to Pope Benedict XVI – Most Faithfully!
This is about The Most Criminal, World Wide, RELIGIONISM – Ever!
All that Our Whole World has ever needed - and still presently needs, foremost and more than ever – is A TRULY AMERICAN National Incorrupt Reevaluation!
“HAPPY HOLIDAYS”!!!
“MERRY CHRISTMAS”!!!
“HAPPY NEW YEAR”!!!
“HAPPY NEW CENTURY!!!”
ALMIGHTY GOD'S “NUCLEAR” WORLD'S TRUE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY; THAT IS, UNIVERSAL INDIVIDUAL EQUAL HUMAN OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE ALMIGHTY GOD-GIVEN HUMAN RIGHTS (HIS “BEST” “GIFTS”), - NO-MORE AND NO-LESS - shall never exist for us in “Our America”, and in our “Free” “Nuclear” World, UNTIL BOTH MOST CRUCIAL GOD'S DETERMINANTS – UNIVERSAL FUNCTIONAL LITERACY AND UNIVERSAL “GOD-SAMARITAN” HEALTH INSURANCE – are Legislatively COMPELLED (CONSTITUTIONALLY) as a Fully-Punishing TRULY HUMANITARIAN CRIMINAL LAW; that is, until Our Insatiable Ultra Filthy-Wealthy CORPORATIST “American” Government so give The True Example, OF SUCH A SACRED UNIVERSALLY HUMAN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, for the sake of Our Most Exploited and Most Suffering Illiterate and Sick “American” World!
Almighty God did not write HIS BIBLE just to “Inspire” The Implacable Religionist “Sacrosanct” Church-like Corporations of This World to use IT as toilet paper – that is, to use IT as Such a Globalized, Religionist, Materialist, PIOUSLY MUM, AND SO ULTIMATELY EQUALLY SUICIDAL-TERRORIST, SUBLIMINAL INHUMAN EXPLOITATION!
Why “THE TRULY UNIVERSAL CHURCH” - as “FREE AND SEPARATE FROM THE STATE” - NEVER TAKES ALL OF THESE, AS ITS TRUE DAILY PREACHING INITIATIVE – AS ITS TRUE RELIGIOUS LEADERS DID BEFORE???!!! BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ANY- MORE “THE TRUE SERVANTS OF ALMIGHTY GOD” (AS THEY SO “FERVENTLY” CLAIM) BUT OF THE GOVERNMENTAL “MOST COMFORTABLE” RAPACIOUS CORPORATIST MOST INHUMAN WORLD POLITICS OF EXPLOITATION!!!
WHY ABSOLUTELY NOBODY SAY ANYTHING – SPECIALLY AT THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTIONS' TIME -- ABOUT DENOUNCING AND UPROOTING ONCE AND FOR ALL OUR EVER ANTI-AMERICAN AND ANTI-DEMOCRATIC MOST SHAMELESSLY “HIDDEN” EVER HIGHEST LEVEL OF OUR WORLD'S ILLITERACY AND LACK OF “GOD-SAMARITAN” MOST BASIC HEALTH INSURANCE!
THE TRUTHFULNESS EVER MISSING IN ALL OF OUR POLITICAL SPEECHES PRETENDING TO “HONOR” OUR MOST BELOVED AMERICA – AND MOST SORELY MISSING FOR OUR SALVATION – IS THE TRULY POLITICAL AND TRULY RELIGIOUS TRULY DEMOCRATIC INSPIRATION!
WHY ARE WE SO SILENT AND OBSTINATE?
MAY WE TRULY PRAY THAT WE ALL TRUE SOLID AMERICANS REALLY ENABLE ALMIGHTY GOD TO BLESS (SAVE) OUR MOST BELOVED TRUE AMERICA!!!
OTHERWISE, ANY OTHER “CRIME” OR “ABORTION” IS AN “INNOCENT” BY-PRODUCT!!!
Comment: #2
Posted by: Octavio Saenz MD Sr
Fri Jul 2, 2010 7:54 PM
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Dear Ms. Estrich,
Talk about absolute gall, it was the Liberals who savaged the Duke Lacrosse Team men. How dare you attempt to link us moderates and Conservatives who did wait to see before coming to a conclusion to the bigoted Liberals and your absurd statement 'We all hopefully learned the lesson in the case of the Duke players' should read I and my Liberal friends all hopefully learned a lesson.
How do you sleep at night with the absolute hypocrisy you stated in this column?
Nuff Said...Dennis
Comment: #3
Posted by: Dennis
Fri Jul 2, 2010 7:58 PM
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You argue that there need not be corroboration to prosecute a sexual abuse/assault case, but then state that the mere discussion of this particular accusation should be off limits.
What level of evidence is required for us to discuss the matter? When we are in possession of a detailed, internally consistent story that has not changed over time, why do we have to rely on a prosecutor's office for us to draw our own conclusions?
Based upon her police statement, and assuming the introduction of other evidence (such as near-contemporaneous notes, referenced in the police statement), I would find Gore did what she said he did, not beyond a reasonable doubt but by the preponderance of the evidence. Am I allowed to discuss it, but you are not? The woman, who has no evidence of having been high or crazy, calls a friend that night, she calls a rape crisis hotline within 72 hours, and writes a statement of the event soon thereafter. There was no motivation to lie (she's a very inefficient gold digger), and plenty of motivation to withhold the presentation of the case to the police. Look, even Susan Estrich essentially says she needs corroboration and by the way Duke lacrosse case, people in cases like this often lie on both sides, etc. And you're one of the more civil ones.
The Duke Lacrosse case should not be some magic talisman to undermine all allegations of illegal sexual contact. In that case, just by the first example of inconsistent testimony enumerated in Wikipedia, the accuser changed the number of attackers from 20 to 3. There is nothing like that here.
You also implicitly fall into a strange fallacy of demanding a trial to establish the truth of a matter. Under that theory, Mohamed Atta never dove a plane into the World Trade Center. Where was the trial?
It's so interesting that on one hand, you tout the lack of a need for corroboration, then spin around and say, none of the people have any idea what happened in the room, and there's no "proof". Of course, that's conclusory. If you need corroboration, then there's no proof. If you listen to the accuser's statement, and think how possibly this all fabricated, then the matter is ripe for public discussion.
Comment: #4
Posted by: weffie
Mon Jul 5, 2010 4:27 AM
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Corroboration or no corroboration, every woman who is raped should report immediately, get a physical examine for evidence, tell supportive family or friends immediately, and take it as far as she can get in the legal system. She should not expect a conviction, however. We're nowhere near the place where a woman's word carries equal weight with a man's. Even other women are prejudiced against a woman who claims rape. The point should be to tell the truth of what one man did to her, not just suffer in silence. If he gets a bad reputation and some other woman steers clear of him, that's good, too.
Comment: #5
Posted by: Laurie Craw
Mon Jul 5, 2010 8:18 PM
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Dear Ms. Estrich,
I welcome your observations on this event. I am an admirer who has read many of your works, including your essay on rape and your experience of that crime. Having said that, the complainant in this instance has not claimed that she was 'forcibly penetrated', rather that she was traumatized by a 'crazed sex poodle' or words to that effect.
The complainant is a fifty something massage therapist who has practiced in the industry for many years. Are we to believe that no one had ever propositioned her previously? I would think that would be what is known as an occupational hazard. I really have to ask, where is the harm that has been perpetrated upon this complainant? And yet, the debate is raging far and wide, at the expense of Mr. Gore.
I have to divluge a certain prejudice regarding these matters. I am a sixty something woman whose only son is sitting in a Texas prison under a sentence of thirty years for having 'raped' the mother of his three children.
I guess you could say I have a jaded view of what young women, and now it would seem old women, describe as sexual assault. Thank you for your balanced commentary.
Marsha James McClanathan
Comment: #6
Posted by: Marsha James
Wed Jul 7, 2010 3:56 PM
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