TOBY PETZOLD

After Tim Russert’s rather light interrogations of Hillary Clinton in last night’s debate, Media Matters opinion-dispenser Paul Waldman fell into a reverie about Russert’s what-sort-of-tree-would-you-be questioning:

I have a fantasy that at one of these moments, a candidate will say, “You know what, Tim, I’m not going to answer that question. This is serious business. And you, sir, are a disgrace. You have in front of you a group of accomplished, talented leaders, one of whom will in all likelihood be the next president of the United States. You can ask them whatever you want. And you choose to engage in this ridiculous gotcha game, thinking up inane questions you hope will trick us into saying something controversial or stupid. Your fondest hope is that the answer to your question will destroy someone’s campaign. You’re not a journalist, you’re the worst kind of hack, someone whose efforts not only don’t contribute to a better informed electorate, they make everyone dumber.

Waldman, of course, is a partisan liberal and an idiot. Why else would he refer to a group of politicians that includes Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards, and Bill Richardson as “talented” and potential Presidents?

These debate formats are mostly ridiculous, but that’s what’s offered. We don’t have or need the time to spend on Mike Gravel or UFOlogists like Kucinich and Richardson, so it only makes sense that Hillary would come in for the most scrutiny. I don’t care what someone —such as Richardson— thinks because he’s not a serious candidate. But I want Hillary to take her lumps. If she can’t handle Russert, how does Waldman figure she’ll do against our actual enemies? She got smoked on the mere question of driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants; her answer was to not answer, basically. Bad move on her feet. Liberal craphounds demand that Bush never flub a line, but Hillary simply got caught out. Nice to know in advance of the coronation, eh?

Russert’s not the problem, despite what the Big Money drone says. He asks good questions. Yeah, I don’t the like the goddamned Buffalo stuff, either, but don’t let the egomania fool you: he nails ‘em left and right. He may try to pull a Larry King or Barbara Walters kind of inkblot question sometimes, but he’s one of the only Big Media interviewers who is still must-watch with me.

The real problem is that the liberal ninnies are finally having to come around to the realization that the fix is in —and has been for a while now: Hillary will be the Democrats’ nominee in 2008. The only purpose her primary opponents serve now is to toughen her up for the general election. That can only happen if all of the doubts about her character and actual ideology are exposed and mulled over now instead of a year from now.

So, at that, Russert and the other “gang” members from last night are actually doing Hillary a favor —by not killing her, but making her stronger.

I was watching Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) on C-SPAN just then and it seems to me that her anti-war and anti-Bush rhetoric is the epitome of weakness. She’s worried about us repeating the pattern of Viet Nam/Cambodia in Iraq/Iran. She says our leadership is reckless and that we have no exit strategy and blah, blah, blah.

Islama mutanda est.

The objections of the Left to the necessity of transforming the culture of jihad into loyal customers of America, Inc. are light and puny. The hippies bore me because they have no reason to object.

Senator Dodd just gave a great and honest answer on the decriminalization of marihuana. Good on him. There are too many people getting locked up in this country for what Governor Schwarzenegger just called a mere leaf.

Hemp for Victory!

Say, Chris Dodd just gave Hillary the shiv on drivers’ licenses in New York. Smooth, strong, and with a hint of musk.

It’s the closest anybody’s come all night to challenging her.

Obama’s milquetoast. Verbose and clumsy milquetoast.

Oh, no…Russert’s asking Kucinich about UFOs. Kucinich is getting fucked up on it, but he’s making it work for him. Ha, ha. Clown.

Kucinich is a hoot: totally rips the Democratic Party a new one and then demands that Bush be impeached.

Oh, and now Edwards is calling the security contractors in Iraq mercenaries. Pretty ugly. Sounds like Markos Zuniga.

A question on education. Will they commit to lengthening the school day and the school year in America? Richardson will. But does he realize that there are lots of 18 and 19 year-olds in high school who are eligible to vote? Is he mad?

Insofar as this thing can be called a debate, it is all the more remarkable that Obama would still come off this poorly.

Is this how he is all the time? Jesus! What a poor prop Big Media’s been erecting! This guy is stiff, formulaic, and answerless. How did he get all of that money?

Biden just coronated Giuliani the GOP frontrunner.

Just before that, he took a large, steaming dump on him.

Biden wins the Soundbite of the Evening Award.

Hillary says the Supreme Court “handed” the Presidency to Bush. Irresponsible bullshit.

And here’s Barry Obama saying exactly why he is not qualified to be the President of the United States. He’s not meaning to, but that is, in fact, what he is doing.

Richardson’s nuzzling Hillary’s scrotum. It’s not working.

These people are awful.

Hillary’s getting asked something about authorizing the Archives to release documents from the Clinton Administration that involve her. Weasels, but well.

Hmmm. Obama takes up Russert’s cudgel. Is he gonna go for it?

Blah. He gives it to Edwards, who, as we have already determined, is a dumbass.

Dennis Kucinich is mad —and the only honest one among them.

Edwards is a dumbass.

Oh, and Obama’s done. He’s an equivocator. Too soft, too inexperienced.