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Obama Attempts to Brush Off Tough Debate

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April 17, 2008 3:02 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., both literally and figuratively, tried to brush off a rough performance after Wednesday night's debate on ABC.

During a town hall in Raleigh, Obama said Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., "looked in her element" last night in Philadelphia.

"She was taking every opportunity to get a dig in there, that's her right to kind of twist the knife a little bit," Obama said before reiterating a point he made during the debate.

"That's how our politics has been taught to be played. That's the lesson that she learned when the republicans were doing that same thing to her back in the 1990s, so I understand it, and when you're running for the presidency then you've got to expect it."

Watch the video from the town hall meeting HERE.

Obama then paused, brushed both his shoulders, and then bent down and brushed off his knee amid thunderous applause from the audience.

"That's what you got to do," Obama laughed, "That is also precisely why I'm running for president to change that kind of politics."

The Illinois senator called the first half of the debate was "tit for tat silliness", and quickly added, "It took us 45 minutes before we even started talking about a single issue that matters to the American people . . . 45 minutes before we heard about healthcare, 45 minutes before we heard about Iraq, 45 minutes before we heard about jobs, 45 minutes before we heard about gas prices."

Obama said that the debate was a preview of how the Republicans will attack him if he were the nominee.

"That was the roll out of the Republicans campaign against me in November. It happened just a little early but that is what they will do. They will try to focus on all these issues that don't have anything to do with how you are paying you bills at the end of the month," Obama said.

Obama said he knows he will have to respond sharply and crisply to an attack like that, explaining he tried to "show some restraint" because he was debating a Democrat.

"Ill be honest with you –- it's a little harder to do with a fellow Democrat because you know I'm trying to you know be –- show some restraint. You know, I won't have this much restraint with the Republicans," he said before continuing, "If the Republicans come at me I will come right back at them."

Obama has not yet committed to a proposed April 27 debate in Raleigh –- while his opponent, Senator Clinton has.

"We've now had 21 (debates), and look, I mean the previous three, you know, we did very well, so it's not as if we don't know how to do these things."

Obama did say they are trying to work out time in the schedule for either a North Carolina or Indiana debate -- as both states hold primaries on May 6.

Addressing an overflow crowd before the event, Obama spoke about the importance of North Carolina, applying more pressure to Clinton in a state he's expected to fare well in.

"North Carolina is going to be critically important –- if we can win in North Carolina, I think we can wrap up this nomination," he said.

April 17, 2008 in Bush, George W., Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (976)

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Go Obama!!!

Even a Clintonista Attack Squad disguised as a debate won't help Hillabeans!!!

Obama 2008 -- Yes, WE CAN!!!

Posted by: Jackt51 -- Vietnam Vet and Proud Liberal | Apr 17, 2008 3:08:36 PM

Well when they asked him about his remarks he reminds me of one of my children it is always well she did this .Hillary did not go out to San Fran.and tell a well off crowd about the low information voters all the party's have to deal with . She didn't sit in a church that has a pastor with a bad message. No fault insurance anyone

Posted by: Bishop | Apr 17, 2008 3:11:44 PM

Obama can't "brush off" his continuing inability to answer tough questions about his friendships with nefarious characters like racist Rev. Wright, and Bill "the bomber" Ayers. He also can't escape his dismal inability to field foreign affairs questions that any presidential candidate should know.

Hillary is, and will remain, the only chance the democrats have to beat the republicans in the G.E.

Posted by: Emily | Apr 17, 2008 3:16:09 PM

The debate would have been better if Gibson and Stephanopolous had acted like journalists and not like scandal-sheet editors. They wasted my time and cheapened our political discourse. I'm deeply disappointed in both of them, and in ABC.

Posted by: Steve | Apr 17, 2008 3:19:32 PM

Did he sound Presidential last night behind that podium? Absolutely not. Who wants a president that stands up there and has no clue about Economics 101. Don't get me started about obama telling stories and lying - sounds just like Bush!

Posted by: Jenny | Apr 17, 2008 3:20:52 PM

The debate was terrible. ABC News should be ashamed of their effort in this debate. How can you say who won when the debate rarely touched on issues that matter?

Posted by: Chris | Apr 17, 2008 3:21:02 PM

Democratic candidates for Prez refused to debate on FOX thinking that the so called mainsteam media like ABC News is better, huh? Well, people now know that the most powerful forces in media are Drudge Report, FOX News and the tabloid press. They lead and the rest follow. CNN depends on them, as well as NBC News. Some of us who knew this all along are not surprised. The question is, what took the rest of you so long to know the truth. Yeah, liberal bias!

Posted by: LarrySpeakes | Apr 17, 2008 3:22:27 PM

Sen. Obama continues to take the high road. His response to the disgraceful all-time low media spectacle ABC put on last night is surprisingly moderate. ABC has sunk to the lowest level - masquerading republican smear propaganda of the most ludicrous kind as a "debate". Clinton and Stefanopoulos were tag teaming and unwittingly helping Disney's Republican agenda. This whole affair is first and foremost a sign of the complete demise of ABC News. Disney should stick to animation and leave journalism to the professionals!

Posted by: koch | Apr 17, 2008 3:23:02 PM

Another ABC "reporter" says Obama

"tried to brush off a rough performance".

A ROUGH PERFORMANCE? aLL THE POLLS SAY HE WON.

ALL OF THEM.


Posted by: SICKOFIT | Apr 17, 2008 3:23:12 PM

Did anybody review the questions those 2 bozos (Charles and Stephanopoutsos) were asking? What a disgrace to the Network. ABCinquirer debate. 2 thumbs down on Gibson

Posted by: Steve | Apr 17, 2008 3:23:20 PM

Oh PUHleeze. He was going easy on her because she's a fellow democrat? And they bought that? He's trying to be restrained. Hilary didn't ask the questions, she only answered them. He's the one that when asked a specific question kept trying to slide her name into it, so if snybody was trying to twist a knife it was him. Why does Obama think he can insult someone's intelligence like that? At one point I thought I'd die laughing when in dscribing one thing or another Obama used very highfalootin language and I thought to myself "that's pretty elitist English" but I think it went right over the commentators head.

Posted by: druggstohr | Apr 17, 2008 3:23:53 PM

The moderators' performance was disgraceful. What a debasement of the political discourse. If these trivialities bear on larger issues of character, etc., then fine--get to the point. But there are momentous issues facing the country. Get some perspective.

Posted by: Rich | Apr 17, 2008 3:23:57 PM

I don't support or even like Obama, but he is largely correct. ABC News has done a horrific job during of covering this Democratic debate, making everything superficial and gossipy. The debate was just more of the same.

I disagree with Obama in that many of these issues need coverage, he's never answered on Wright, Ayers, Rezko. But Gibson/Step. spent 45 minutes without getting at anything. (Plus Steph. doesn't understand causality as his capital gains question shows).

Posted by: JimF | Apr 17, 2008 3:24:23 PM

Worst Job of Journalism by two clowns, with their tabloid type questions.

This is Network News???? Are these the questions people care about? I think not.

Posted by: Mike | Apr 17, 2008 3:24:33 PM

THERE IS NO DENYING THE FACT THAT THE MEDIA (REGRETABLY. PERHAPS) HAS THE POWER TO MAKE OR BREAK THIS CAMPAIGN. AS A VETERAN NEWS MAN, MY ADVICE TO ABC IS THAT TRY AND RAISE YOUR STANDARDS. JUDGING FROM THESE COMMENTS, I AM QUITE CONVINCED THAT PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF THE SAME OLD GAME OF MUDDYING THE WATERS, OF CREATING FALSE SENSATIONALISM AT THE COST OF AMERICA’S FURURE AND THE FUTURE OF ITS CITIZENS. PEOPLE DO’NT NEED TO LOOK AT THE CAR CRASH. THEY ARE BETTER THAN THAT.

Posted by: anti gutter press | Apr 17, 2008 3:25:34 PM

Obama mangled his words again in the debate last night.

Posted by: Dooley Twig | Apr 17, 2008 3:25:38 PM

he did not win this one not even close he is also hen pecked .

Posted by: Bishop | Apr 17, 2008 3:25:44 PM

I notice that almost all the news media believes Obama was tentative and rattled. Check them out.

Posted by: Aston | Apr 17, 2008 3:26:06 PM

Obama is the best thing that's happened to this country in decades. The "debate" if you can call it that was right wing tabloid fiesta done for ratings. ABC should be ashamed.

Posted by: alex rostocki | Apr 17, 2008 3:26:27 PM

Hey Obama zombies, you had no problem with the media bias against Hillary and laughed when she brought it up. Now how does it feel? You do know what karma is right, or does Obama need to give a speech on that too. What goes around comes around! The honeymoon is over isn't it. Oh I'm sorry am I treating Obama unfairly should I stick to criticisms that he has prepared for, well just blame Gibson and Stephanopolous. ABC it's about time that someone asked both the candidates real questions and decided to make the debate reflect the general election.

Posted by: Gonzalo | Apr 17, 2008 3:26:31 PM

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