Certainy one thing is clear. The Obama campaign needs to better prepare their surrogates, particularly up against an eloquent congressperson. I thought the specificity of the question, and the inability to back off was a bit of a se-up.

This does not mean that Barack Obama does not have "accomplishments," only that this particular interviewee was woefully unprepared. Too bad the Clinton camp has so little to criticize that they have to stoop to making a mountain out of this molehill!

I support Hillary. However, this issue does not make the smallest dent in the American public's impression of Obama. He has swept them off their feet and can do no wrong. Hillary's only chance is to come out with a rock solid, specific economic plan, and focus on that non-stop, no other issues. Focusing on these other failings of Obama are burning valuable time. Let the press take care of them.

It's funny that the insular Clintonites didn't notice that their negative attacks got them a 17% thrashing in a state they were winning a few weeks back.

So now they've got more negative attacks... going after some state senator who flubbed on Hardball. So, what, now I'm going to vote for Hillary?

Clinton's campaign is incompetent. Why would you expect her administration to be any different?

What I would like to know is how many speeches does Hillary write? How many did Regan write, how many did JFK write? Not as many as you would think! All presidents have speech writers... in fact the gentlemen that wrote most of JFK's speeches (yes even the great "ask not what your country..." speech) is helping to write Obama's speeches.

The thing that gets me is that when Obama talks about specific plans in his speeches they are boring... but if he doesn't then he has no specific plans at all! Do your homework! Look up his plans on his website and LISTEN when he talks about them!

Do your homework, ABC:

Judge Him by His Laws - Obama's 12 year record as senator

"People who complain that Barack Obama lacks experience must be unaware of his legislative achievements. One reason these accomplishments are unfamiliar is that the media have not devoted enough attention to Obama's bills and the effort required to pass them, ignoring impressive, hard evidence of his character and ability. Since most of Obama's legislation was enacted in Illinois, most of the evidence is found there -- and it has been largely ignored by the media in a kind of Washington snobbery that assumes state legislatures are not to be taken seriously. (Another factor is reporters' fascination with the horse race at the expense of substance that they assume is boring, a fascination that despite being ridiculed for years continues to dominate political journalism.)"

So now after the 10th straight win, its tear down Obama time, but she's in the solutions business. What a joke!

Every little word uttered, every look, the Obamas need to know they have a magnifying glass AND a microphone up their butts! If Obama steps right, then left....'he's not qualified to be commander-in-chief'.
He is just as qualified as you are hillary, just as qualified!

Its gonna take Obama and his peers to start bragging about the legislation he co-sponsored/sponsored, so its remembered when folks sit down with the 'gotcha' media. He has done plenty (much more than hillary) and he needs to put that information out there.

"Give me a break! I've got news for all the latte-drinking, Prius- driving, Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies crowding in to hear him speak! This guy won't last a round against the Republican attack machine. He's a poet, not a fighter."

How hard would it be for ABC News to actually do some research, instead of just typing up Clinton attacks every day. Seriously, folks, this stuff is easy to find:

During the first eight years of Senator Obama’s elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced:

233 regarding healthcare reform,
125 on poverty and public assistance,
112 crime fighting bills,
97 economic bills,
60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,
21 ethics reform bills,
15 gun control,
6 veterans affairs and many others.

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included:
- the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law),
- The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law),
- The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate,
- The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (became law),
- The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee)

What HAS she done for 911 familes??? First responders are dying every day and are being denied benefits! Just look up the Feal Good Foundation. If you care about those who were victimized by 911, look for foundations who actually get funding to them because Hilliary and her colleagues have left them and they're families with NOTHING, while voting to waste money on wars against those who had NOTHING to do with 911! Her record is nothing to brag about. Just like Barack all talk, no facts.

Thin record? Hardly:

- Graduated first black president of Harvard Law Review having won trust and support of conservative members.

-- Passed over 600 high-money law firm offers to work for civil rights practice at fractional pay.

-- Added health insurance for 20,000 children, welfare reforms, earned-income tax credits, and increased minimum wage in Illinois.

-- Reformed death-penalty cases, requiring that interrogations be video-recorded. Passed Illinois Senate 58-0. Signed into law by Illinois governor who first opposed Obama’s bill. Obama succeeded by building consensus with conservative opposition.

-- Opposed Iraq war publicly, long before invasion. Accurately depicted it as of undetermined length, undetermined cost, undetermined objective, with a great likelihood of civil war breaking out.

-- Expanded program to locate and dismantle stray Russian WMD with Republican Senator Lugar.

-- Passed major ethics and lobbying reform bill with Russ Feingold, insisting upon tougher restrictions around gifts, meals, etc. And extended the interval preventing exiting congress members from moving directly into lobbyist positions.

-- Toured Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, and Palestinian territories, telling Palestinian Authority Abbas that US would never recognize Hamas leaders until they renounced mission to attack Israel.

-- Cosponsored Secure Orderly Immigration Act by John McCain. Passes Senate 62-36. Makes undocumented persons who have been here 5+ years only allowed to stay and apply for citizenship if they pay back-taxes, learn English, and have no criminal record.

-- Communicated frankly to Michigan automaker executives of need to increase fuel-efficiency standards by at least 3% per year.

-- Many aisle-crossing bi-partisan solutions throughout 10 years of senate experience (8 state, 2 federal).

-- 100% approval rating from the League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood. National Education Association gives him an “A” on their most recent scorecard.

-- In Illinois State Senate sponsored 780 bills, 280 were signed into law.

-- In first year as US Senator, held 39 town-hall meetings throughout his state, sponsored 152 bills and resolutions, and cosponsored 427 more.

-- Designated US Senate point person on ethics by Speaker Harry Reid.

You Clinton folks aren't going to get anywhere with more attacks. Not to help the other side, but it's definitely part of why your losing in every state, and why Obama beats McCain in every poll while Hillary can't. Give up the anger, my friends.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010303303.html

That is why the blind can't see. In your case, ABC has chosen to write silly articles. I wish someone would ask questions on why McCain wants our troops to die in Iraq for another 100 yrs, he said he doesn't understand the economy and changes his position on important issues like immigration. I guess selective memory comes with old age. Hope he's listening to the American people, we want a changes and I don't care who offers that possibility and we don't want another Bush.

I didn't have my Red Bull this morning -- I'm a bit jittery today. I will say this -- as much as Affirmative Action played a role in Obama getting where he is today (don't sit there and tell me you think it had NOTHING to do with the doors it opened for him AND his wife), having said that -- Obama (AND his wife) walked through those doors and have done pretty well for themselves since. Your race (if you're a minority) or your parents (if you're a Bush) can get you into an Ivy League school, but neither of those things can help you graduate with honors -- which is what I think (though I'm not certain) Obama did, and C Average (at best) Bush did not do. I think Obama is smart (aside from being a chain smoker with small children in the house [and car?]), and is inspiring in (his?) speeches. Bush is neither. Hillary, is neither. Ron Paul 2008! (Just kidding, Ron Paul is a nut!) I'm not going to endorse anyone, but suggest that you'all who think that the candidate across the aisle from your political views is EVIL -- step off, they all want America to succeed. We need to find more common ground. This fighting and mudslinging makes everyone, including the country look childish.

While I admire Obama greatly, he is severly lacking the experience required to be a US President. I fear if he is elected he will be way in over his head. I am a resident of Texas and an Independent. I am supporting Hillary. If Obama is nominated I will be supporting Macain.

Let's take a closer look at who's really qualified and or who's really working for the good of all of us in the Senate, Obama or Clinton.

Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term - 6yrs. - and another year campaigning, has managed to author and pass into law - 20 - twenty pieces of legislation in her first six years.

These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress www.thomas.loc.gov, but to save you trouble, I'll post them here for you.

1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.
2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.
5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson.
6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea.
7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death.
10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.
13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.
14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death.
15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty. Only five of Clinton 's bills are, more substantive.
16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11 18. Assist land mine victims in other countries.
19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.
There you have it, the fact's straight from the Senate Record.

Now, I would post those of Obama's, but the list is too substantive, so I'll mainly categorize.

During the first - 8 - eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced

233 regarding health care reform,

125 on poverty and public assistance,

112 crime fighting bills,

97 economic bills,

60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,

21 ethics reform bills,

15 gun control,

6 veterans affairs

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included **the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 - became law, **The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, - became l aw, **The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate, **The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, - became law, **The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, In committee, and many more.

In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096.

An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no record according to some who would prefer that this comparison not be made public.

He's not just a talker.

He's a doer.

the healine is misleading and quoting the host of a show that put up a picture of Osama Bin Laden to represent Obama for a story may not be the best source. Teddy/Mike, did you actually look at hsi legislative record before you put this piece of 'journalism' out?

OK, so Obama is for change, like everyone else, but what is he going to change specifically and how? Changes are not always for the good. Sometimes they become disastrous. Specifically, what is Obama planning on changing rather than attempting to solve the existng problems, as promised by Hillary? He comes through as another motor mouth: all talk, no action, something like GWB.

To the poster who wondered what Hillary has done for 9/11 victims, here is an excerpt from Tha Atlantic, Nov. '06, pg. 65:

...The day after September 11, she surveyed the devastation at Ground Zero with New York's other senator, Charles Schumer. Realizing the need for federal help, she called Byrd first thing the next morning. "We're in real trouble, and it's goimg to take a lot to put the city back together. Can you help?"" This time Byrd agreed at once: "Count me as the third senator from New York." With his assistance on the Appropriations Committee, New York secured $20 billion in recovery funds, and Clinton likely cinched her reelection." .....

She's not like Guiliani, and she doesn't deserve bashing on 9/11.

Did Chris Matthews really ask an Obama supporter a tough question? Or was that a tough question? Nothing. The guy said nothing.

Get your facts straight...it wasn't Hardball all though Chris Mathews had thought it was but was soon corrected that it was not. Should have fired back at Chris and asked him what he ate for breakfast 4 days ago. The question was totally out of the blue. It wasn't that the Senator couldn't answer it was more that he was taken by surprise because they were supposed to be talking about Obama's recent win in Wisconsin and how he thought he would do in Texas. Nice try Chris. Next time remember which program you are on before opening your mouth!!

He makes me proud to be a Cuellar.
Love you Hillary.

I will vote for MCcain in Nov if Obama gets the nominee. It is just this simple.

Obama supporters cannot name any legislative accomplishments because there aren't any. Someone above tried to post his "thousands" of bills piling together Illinois State (6 y) and US Senate (2 y) records and even then could not keep the lies straight.
"During the first - 8 - eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills."
"In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096."
Huh?
The only two Obama sponsored bills in the Senate to have passed had 22 and 19 co-sponsors. No, he did not write them, he read them off a teleprompter.
His only accomplishment, a stump speech against the war in Iraq in 2002, less than a year after Sepetember 11, shows poor judgment not wisdom. He did not even see any evidence nor did he know that Bush was falsifying them -- yet "talked" against taking any action.
Bushama is too dangerous for our country.
Other than naked ambition to be king of the Americans, Obama has not shown any substance.

And the dying first responders are being denied health care and benefits BECAUSE.... Come on Hilliary... Give them an answer!!! The "recovery funds" sure didn't go to those who are sick from ground zero. If that was the case, we wouldn't be holding fund raisers for them every month! Hilliary raised a couple million last month, think she can help out her constituents who have been stonewalled on their health care and their disability benefits? Their families would like to KNOW!!! Come on Hilliary can you help out your fellow New Yorkers??? (I won't hold my breath!) Giuliani lost his campaign over mistreating these men. I think Hilliary deserves to give them an explanation TOO!!! He should have been held accountable, just as she deserves to be. Nobody gets a free pass, when they have to responsibility to represent the interests of ALL of their constituents. You can't pick and choose who gets what when your the President. You have to take care of all of them.

Obamacan: All presidents have speech writers but Obama doesn't have a speech writer he just takes a copy of Patrick's speeches and walks back across the stage and no one knew the differende until he got caught. The governor didn't write speeches for the president's they had their own. Maybe he wants Patrick for his VP.

James: What comic book have you been reading. The only accomplishment Obama did was getting elected Senator only because he played dirty pool against the woman campaigning for senator. He is dirty and underhanded. He has been friends with Rezko the crook for years, was his attorney and was paid thousands of dollars by him. Is that a good accomplishment? Now that Rezko is in jail after giving Obama that money Obama doesn't even go to see him. Why not. They were friends for years. I wouldn't trust Obama on a bet. He is as phony as a three dollar bill. I would love to see him debate John McCain. If Obama wins the nomination John McCain will sweep him under the rug with the rest of the dirt.

I am glad the Obam supporters are going to other websites to copy and paste so they can declare that they know what Obama has acomplished. At least it is a break from they way they point to his website when trying to explain where he stands on the issues.

How is Obama going to effect change? How is he going to end the war? How is going to fix the economy? If he is not going to follow the politics of old, what kind is he proposing? Why will Congress listen? What if his proposal does not get passed, then what? If he is not going to follow the politics of old, is he going to appoint fresh faced politicians in his cabinet? As Commander in Chief, what if 1 year from now, his military advisers say you must stay in Iraq or risk a potential conflict which would trigger a regional war, does he still pull out? How does differ with what he said? Would people then not like him?

All that Obama's supporters care about, are change and new. They could give a d*mn about qualifications. They try to tout his mediocre Illinois State Senate record, a record that many State Senators across the U.S. have far surpassed, and his short time in the U.S. senate, as qualifications. His time spent as a community organizer, is run of the mill stuff, as far as it goes.

just the facts from the Thomas Library of congress (bills and resolutions). Not biased to either candidate just the full checkable truth.

bills passed/agreed to in the senate by both candidates in their senate careers. Obama 7 Clinton 23

senate bills and resolutions overview for each candidate.

110th congress
Obama sponsored 113 cosponsored 375
Clinton sponsored 150 cosponsored 483

109th Congress
Obama sponsored 152 cosponsored 427
Clinton sponsored 177 cosponsored 720.

108th congress
Clinton 138 sponsored 688 cosponsored

107th congress
clinton 90 sponsored 398 cosponsored

Decide for yourself

Obama supporters cannot name any legislative accomplishments because there aren't any. Someone above tried to post his "thousands" of bills piling together Illinois State (6 y) and US Senate (2 y) records and even then could not keep the lies straight.
"During the first - 8 - eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills."
"In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096."
Huh?
The only two Obama sponsored bills in the Senate to have passed had 22 and 19 co-sponsors. No, he did not write them, he read them off a teleprompter.
His only accomplishment, a stump speech against the war in Iraq in 2002, less than a year after Sepetember 11, shows poor judgment not wisdom. He did not even see any evidence nor did he know that Bush was falsifying them -- yet "talked" against taking any action.
Bushama is too dangerous for our country.
Other than naked ambition to be king of the Americans, Obama has not shown any substance.

"Present!"

Let's borrow a page from Sen. Obama's book and say "forget the past records, what are we going to do in the future?" That said, to bring the discussion down to an even more practical, political, leadership level, what are the Obamas plans for revitalizing our severely damaged military, with so many soldiers returning home with lost limbs and brain injuries, they won't be "patched up" to return to their voluntary places in defense of the nation. Are we in for a draft? Will the National Guards continue to be used for combat roles? And what did you promise the Teamsters to get their endorsement? Will somebody, some newspaper, some t.v. pundit, somebody who is involved and informed, please get the Obamas to be specific about how their dreams for us will turn into reality? Let's not wait until the convention is over for that challenge.

Democrats are in for another disappointment in November because McCain will win no matter who the democratic nominee is. Clinton will loose because for some reasons, valid or invalid, a lot of people even some democrats strongly dislike her and will not vote for her. If Obama is the nominee his race and inexperience will be against him. People would like to believe that we have gotten over racism, and for most part we have, but still there are a significant number of people, even some democrats, who will consider race and not vote for Obama. Even if only 5% of democrats fall into this category and vote for McCain because of race he will the election in November.

Obama speaks and you are drawn to the words.I'm old enough to remember Jimmy Carter speak,he did the same thing to a crowd and we elected a man with a good heart and great dreams,however,words are just words,dreams are,well dreams.Carter found himself completely unprepared for the real world of the international arena.I blame him for the start of our power decline in the mideast.His lack of action in Iran made us look weak and we never recovered.Obama is a dreamer and we dont need another dreamer.

shaun & christy: try going to the Library of Congress website to gather actual facts of legislation by these Senators. The records posted by Eresha K. is 100% correct, but she, or he, only touched on a very few pieces of Barack Obama's legislation. The posting by "just the facts" as to numbers of legislative acts is also near correct, of course Clinton has been a U.S. Senator for one full term (6)six years, to Barack Obama's (3) three, so naturally she has been able to get more legislation passed into law, the (20) posted by Eresha K. attributed to Clinton is a correct record of accomplishments for her entire first (6) six year period. You will note there's not anything in that record of much substantive value to the American people. While Clinton was naming post offices and congratulating Lacrosse teams, Senator Obama was writing legislation with teeth. Again Eresha K. posted only a few. Here are a few more of Barack's proposed legislation, some in committee, some passed Congress and Senate and are awaiting further action. S-2984 Future Investment to Lessen Long Term Use of Petroleum Act, S-2045 Healthcare for Hybrids Act, S-2433 Global Poverty Act of 2007, S-1 amendment to his Legislative Transparency & Accountability Act, S-453 Deceptive Practices & Voter Intimidation Act of 2007, S-4069 Prohibit Deceptive Practices in Federal Elections (this one, strangely enough, was co-sponsored by Hillary Clinton), S-133 American Fuels Act, S-3554 Alternative Diesel Standard Act of 2006, S-1271 The Homecoming Enhancement Research & Oversight Act (for U.S. Veterans), S-713 Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act (another veterans bill). Obama along with Mo. Senator McCaskill have proposed more legislation benefiting our veterans than any other senators in the past two decades. These are only a few, the list is endless and don't include naming many post offices. Who do you want? Someone working for the American People with meaningful legislation or some one writing earmarks and congratulating Lacrosse teams.

Well there are some positives about Mrs. Obama's comments about her feelings toward America. If she becomes first lady, she will be very well received by some foreign dignitries like Osam Bin Laden, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro etc.

Barack is actually young and inexperienced. He doesn't have any executive experience, has a relatively short political career, has zero foreign policy and military experience (dangerous in these uncertain times, and something that McCain will surely hammer him on).
U.S.EMBASSY UNDER ATTACK---OBAMA WOULDN'T HAVE THE SLIGHEST IDEA WHAT TO DO!!!

!!

Barack Obama and his fellow state senators considered more than 175 pieces of legislation on a frenetic day in March. Of those measures, Obama voted "present" obama did not show up to vote in the senate often in his short time there, missed 130 votes! will not answer any reporter on how we would voted at the time. But his record after fact shows he supports the war, voted twice in 2006 against bringing America's troops back home. He votes for war appropriations giving our money to Halliburton and Blackwater. His latest bit of posturing S 433 allows the Bush Administration to suspend any troop withdrawal!!!!Which if not suspended, still keeps the troops in Iraq for a long time to come? Obama when faced with tough choices always gave in to pressure from the Bush administration or corporate lobbyists. Such as Obama voted for Bush's energy bill, sending more than $13 billion in subsidies and tax breaks to oil, coal, and nuclear companies. Obama voted with Republicans to allow credit card companies to raise interest rates over 30 percent, INCREASING STUDENT LOANS RATES AND FEES increasing hardship for families. Obama voted for one of Bush's top priorities - expanding Nafta to South America - even as President Bush obstructed all the top Democratic priorities. Obama voted with Bush to make it harder for ordinary people to hold big corporations accountable when they do things like sell toxic toys, poisonous pet food, or just plain rip you off. Obama was the Senate's biggest Democratic advocate of subsidies for liquid coal, even though liquid coal produces twice the global warming pollution of the crude oil it's meant to replace (Obama "backed off" this position after being pummeled by environmentalists for several months, but still voted for increased subsidies, albeit with conditions)Obama, a Hamiltonian believer in free trade and supporters of globalization has lent his support to the "Hamilton Project formed by corporate-neoliberal Citigroup chair Robert Rubin and other 'Wall Street Democrats' to counter populist rebellion against corporate tendencies within the Democratic Party. Obama provided assistance to pro-war candidates (such as Joe Lieberman). Obama voted for "business-friendly 'tort reform' bill that rolls back working peoples' ability to obtain reasonable redress and compensation...from corporations!!! Obama considers single payer universal health care too socialist and has stated that he prefers voluntary solutions. He has no substance. He has provided no solution to any problem until Hillary, Edwards or even Mitt Romey publically expresses theirs, then he copies, He’s been constantly negative with everyone.
Friends Say Drugs Played Only Bit Part for Obama, now his drug buddles are coming out for him. Obama admitted to smoking pot and going coke in dorm rooms, talked about “getting high.and drinking alcohol and using cocaine as a high school student. So he admits to doing drugs all through school. That’s a role model—not!!! This is why the young supports Obama!!

"Well done is better than well said." -- Benjamin Franklin

Hillary Rodham Clinton is such an inspiration. Many professional women and their daughters in our community are thrilled for this commendable candidate who has the interests of the American people at heart and has since her young adulthood. Obama is a promising young man but not quite ready for primetime. Perhaps next election.