Thursday, April 17, 2008

With the economy in tatters, and no end to the war in sight, among other big problems, it's reassuring to know that the presidential race will turn on such important things as Obama's ties to William Ayers, a former member of the Weather Underground.

But at least 10 million people tuned in for last night's debate on ABC.

Some media dissectors are going to town on Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, such as Tom Shales:

When Barack Obama met Hillary Clinton for another televised Democratic candidates' debate last night, it was more than a step forward in the 2008 presidential election. It was another step downward for network news -- in particular ABC News, which hosted the debate from Philadelphia and whose usually dependable anchors, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, turned in shoddy, despicable performances.

George tells Politico he was doing his job:

“We asked tough but appropriate questions,” Stephanopoulos told me by phone this afternoon.

When I asked whether questions about flag pins or Bosnia are actually relevant to voters, he replied: “Absolutely.”

“The vote for the president,” Stephanopoulos said, “is one of the most personal” decisions that someone makes. 

“When people make that choice, they take into account how candidates stand on the issues,” he said, but also are concerned with “experience, character [and] credibility.”

“You can’t find a presidential election where those issues didn’t come into play,” he said.

Halperin gives Obama a B+ and Hillary a B.