Obama Scores in Debate

Nice roundup of the debate on Politico.com and how Obama addressed the “experience” question.

Many of the candidates running for president have numerous years of experience. But what they haven’t shown is leadership and vision. Obama has demonstrated both.

Here’s an excerpt. Read more here:

But while the debate pretty much stayed at sea level for all 90 minutes, there was a high point or two and I thought Barack Obama did the best in advancing his message.

His campaign accurately has identified his greatest weakness — lack of national experience — and has devised a strategy to turn it into a strong point.

Obama didn’t just exploit opportunities during the debate, he created them.

Thus, in a discussion about how many U.S. troops should be left behind in Iraq after a general withdrawal, Obama said: “But the thing I wish had happened was that all the people on this stage had asked these questions before they authorized us getting in. And I make that point because earlier on we were talking about the issue of experience. Nobody had more experience than Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney and many of the people on this stage that authorized this war.”

In a discussion about political polarization in America, Obama responded: “If you're tired of the backbiting and the score-keeping and the special-interest-driven politics of Washington, if you want somebody who can bring the country together around a common purpose and rally us around a common destiny, then I’m your guy.”

And even in an off-the-wall discussion as to whether the power of prayer can stop hurricanes, bridge collapses and disease, Obama answered: “We don’t have the power to prevent illness in all cases, but we do have the power to make sure that every child gets a regular checkup and isn’t going to the emergency room for treatable illnesses like asthma.

“We may not have the power to prevent a hurricane, but we do have the power to make sure that the levees are properly reinforced and we’ve got a sound emergency plan.”