Gang of Eight: The Democrats Debate — Jun 4th 2007

By James Marcus

What we got, then, were mostly variations on the same theme. Disagreements did erupt, of course. John Edwards, with his sagging poll numbers, was quick to deny the actual existence of the War on Terror. "It's a bumper sticker!" he insisted. "It's a political slogan. That's all it is, that's all it's ever been." Hillary Clinton was having none of this--which is to say that no senator from New York can afford such a rhetorical ploy. But even as the discussion about Iraq heated up, Joe Biden rushed in with a Band-Aid. "I don't want to judge them!" he remarked, when the schoolmarmish but efficient Wolf Blitzer asked him to condemn his colleagues for their votes on the latest round of war funding. "They worked hard! These are my friends!" And not too much later, Clinton added: "The differences among us are minor."

In general, though, Biden had a pretty good night, especially given the pratfall that launched his campaign. At one point he noted that "being Commander In Chief occasionally requires you to be practical"--a deadpan irony that got a chuckle from the audience. But he seemed to making a conscious effort to avoid his inner policy wonk, cutting directly to the chase in his discussion of the military's don't-ask-don't-tell policy: "Peter Pace is flat wrong!" And while the still marginal Mike Gravel delivered the ultimate word on legislative earmarks ("abominable"), I admired Biden's blunt response: "Go to public financing of elections. The rest is mullarkey." Way to go, Joe!

Gravel, whose initial vibe suggested a grumbling, opinionated CPA, gained focus throughout the evening. Indeed, both he and Dennis Kucinich--meaningfully positioned at the outer edges of the group--managed some excellent potshots at their centrist peers. For example, everybody essentially agreed on national health care (an amazing fact in and of itself). But only Kucinich rejected any sort of entrepreneurial tango with the insurance industry: "We need a universal, single-payer, not-for-profit system."

More surprisingly, Kucinich said that he would be unwilling to vaporize Osama bin Laden with a guided missile. The issue was somewhat blurred by the prospect of (an ugly phrase) collateral damage, with Blitzer refusing to give a specific number. But Kucinich sounded absolutely opposed to what he called "assassination politics," and you could practically see the prickling of Barack Obama's large, parabolic-looking ears. "When you've got a military target like Bin Laden," Obama shot back, "you take him out." Clinton too climbed aboard the bandwagon, with a special twist of her own: "My husband did try to take out Bin Laden... But you have to be very careful about how you proceed."

Was there a winner? By virtue of having not destroyed each other, Clinton and Obama walked away with a partial victory. Biden was assertive, Edwards smooth and persuasive, and Dodd, with his gleaming head of hair and vaguely columnar physiognomy, lost ground. (Worth noting: only Dodd had the temerity to suggest that when oil goes above $40 per barrel, the surplus should be rebated back to the consumer.) It's hard to imagine Gravel or Kucinich yanking the party out of its centrist groove, although their role as stereophonic gadflies is a blessing to all concerned.

But the other great lesson of the debate is that Bill Clinton still casts an awfully big shadow. His name popped up over and over again, and the funniest moment came when various candidates were asked how they would make use of the former president in their administration. Bill Richardson, who radiated an attractive sort of decency but never really dominated the stage, promised to appoint Clinton as a Middle East envoy. Gravel mentioned a post as a roving ambassador. He was echoed by both Obama and Hillary, who promised the gig to "Bill Clinton, my dear husband." We've come quite a ways since the silver-tongued, junk-food-adoring Clinton was shunned by his former vice president and a sizable fraction of his own party. Now everybody wants the Man from Hope on board--as long as they can promptly send him out of town.

Tags: biden, debate, democrats, election, gravel, hillary, kucinich, obama

2 Comments