Obama, Clinton Spar Over Cuba, Health Care
Hillary Clinton accused presidential rival Barack Obama of political plagiarism Thursday night, but drew boos from a Democratic debate audience when she ridiculed him as the candidate of "change you can Xerox."
Obama dismissed the charge out of hand, then turned the jeers to applause when he countered, "What we shouldn't be doing is tearing each other down, we should be lifting the country up."
The exchange marked an unusually pointed moment in an otherwise civil encounter in the days before March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio - contests that even some of Clinton's supporters say she must win to sustain her campaign for the White House.
The former first lady has lost 11 straight primaries and caucuses, and trails her rival in convention delegates. Obama has won a pair of big union endorsements in the past two days.
Overall, the night did little to stop Obama's momentum, which has helped him pull even with Clinton in Texas polls after trailing her by double-digits only a few weeks ago, CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs said.
"Anyone looking for a knock-down, drag-out debate in Texas tonight was instead treated to a gentle waltz that only increased Obama's edge over Clinton," Ververs said. "The New York Senator did nothing to stop Obama's momentum and, in fact, allowed him to upstage her on both substance and style. Time is growing short for Clinton to regain her footing. This debate just kept those seconds rapidly moving forward. And the time is all on Obama's side."
In a university auditorium in the heart of Texas, the two rivals agreed that high-tech surveillance measures are preferable to construction of a fence to curtail illegal immigration.
They disagreed on the proper response to a change in government in Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castro's resignation. Clinton said she would refuse to sit down with incoming President Raul Castro until he implements political and economic reforms. Obama said he would meet "without preconditions," but added the U.S. agenda for such a session would include human rights in the Communist island nation.
They also sparred frequently about health care, a core issue of the campaign.
Clinton said repeatedly that Obama's plan would leave 15 million Americans uncovered.
But he, in turn, accused the former first lady of mishandling the issue by working in secrecy when her husband was in the White House.
"I'm going to do things differently," he said. "We can have great plans, but if we don't change how the politics is working in Washington, then neither of our plans are going to happen."
Clinton was combative and complimentary by turns, and reflected on her well-known personal struggles in the debate's final moments.
"Everyone here knows I've lived through some crises and some challenging moments in my life," she said - a thinly veiled but clear reference to her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky and subsequent impeachment. But she added that nothing she had been through matched the everyday struggles of voters.
Then, offering unprompted praise to her rival, the one-time front-runner said, "No matter what happens in this contest, I am honored to be here with Barack Obama."
Both candidates were plainly popular with the debate audience. During one break someone in the crowd shouted "Si, se puede," Spanish for Obama's trademark phrase, "Yes we can."
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Obama dismissed the charge out of hand, then turned the jeers to applause when he countered, "What we shouldn't be doing is tearing each other down, we should be lifting the country up."
The exchange marked an unusually pointed moment in an otherwise civil encounter in the days before March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio - contests that even some of Clinton's supporters say she must win to sustain her campaign for the White House.
The former first lady has lost 11 straight primaries and caucuses, and trails her rival in convention delegates. Obama has won a pair of big union endorsements in the past two days.
Overall, the night did little to stop Obama's momentum, which has helped him pull even with Clinton in Texas polls after trailing her by double-digits only a few weeks ago, CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs said.
"Anyone looking for a knock-down, drag-out debate in Texas tonight was instead treated to a gentle waltz that only increased Obama's edge over Clinton," Ververs said. "The New York Senator did nothing to stop Obama's momentum and, in fact, allowed him to upstage her on both substance and style. Time is growing short for Clinton to regain her footing. This debate just kept those seconds rapidly moving forward. And the time is all on Obama's side."
In a university auditorium in the heart of Texas, the two rivals agreed that high-tech surveillance measures are preferable to construction of a fence to curtail illegal immigration.
They disagreed on the proper response to a change in government in Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castro's resignation. Clinton said she would refuse to sit down with incoming President Raul Castro until he implements political and economic reforms. Obama said he would meet "without preconditions," but added the U.S. agenda for such a session would include human rights in the Communist island nation.
They also sparred frequently about health care, a core issue of the campaign.
Clinton said repeatedly that Obama's plan would leave 15 million Americans uncovered.
But he, in turn, accused the former first lady of mishandling the issue by working in secrecy when her husband was in the White House.
"I'm going to do things differently," he said. "We can have great plans, but if we don't change how the politics is working in Washington, then neither of our plans are going to happen."
Clinton was combative and complimentary by turns, and reflected on her well-known personal struggles in the debate's final moments.
"Everyone here knows I've lived through some crises and some challenging moments in my life," she said - a thinly veiled but clear reference to her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky and subsequent impeachment. But she added that nothing she had been through matched the everyday struggles of voters.
Then, offering unprompted praise to her rival, the one-time front-runner said, "No matter what happens in this contest, I am honored to be here with Barack Obama."
Both candidates were plainly popular with the debate audience. During one break someone in the crowd shouted "Si, se puede," Spanish for Obama's trademark phrase, "Yes we can."
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I hesitate to ask, but were you asleep when Bush stole into the Oval Office and did exactly what your laundry list of nightmares details?
You worry--
1. Would He CHANGE the way to make it easy for terrorists to get into this country to over throw this country?
2. Would He CHANGE the laws for any of His kind?
3. Would He hang out with those who supported tyranny against this country?
4. Would He impose martial law? (in de facto fashion, of course)
5. Could He start unjust wars for His hidden ideology?
6. Could His decisions CHANGE the course for America?
7. Would He CHANGE your civil liberties?
8. Would He CHANGE your mind that you voted for Him? (most have already, in utter disgust with Bush)
Exactly what were you thinking for the past seven years-- or not, as the case may be?
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Posted by tru_america1 at 02:25 PM : Feb 23, 2008
Well, sir, I agree that hope inspires people to do great things. But what we have here is two people with almost the exact same vision...
Are you going to go with the buffooon whose track record is very iffy? Or are you going to with a person that has a demonstrated track record for actually getting the job done?
Considering that we have just had one inexperienced buffoon in our White House, and considering that most of Obama''s support comes from youth following a cultist star who can barely find Washington, DC on the map!
When I fly in an airplane I want the pilot with the most experience, not the one who can inspire hope in me that I get to where I am going. When I pay my taxes, I want the person filing them to be experienced, not the new person who inspires hope in me that he can do the job. When I hire someone to fix my washing machine, I want the tried and true experienced person, not the one who inspires me to hope that he can fix it. When I go to the doctor I do not want to get the one who inspires hope in me that s/he can cure what''''''''''''''''s wrong, but the one who knows what the hell to do the minute I call. It''''''''''''''''s not really the job of a public servant to inspire, but to get the job that the people demand done. The democrats think that if they have hope and are inspired things will get better, but they actually won''''''''''''''''t. When Oprah makes her employees sign her fifty page non-disclosure statement, she doesn''''''''''''''''t "hope" they can''''''''''''''''t break it, she pays teams of experienced lawyers to MAKE SURE they can''''''''''''''''t break it, or be sued in an experienced court by an experienced judge.
I have to agree with this post!
Go Hillary ''08!
If there was a secret radical Muslim in the white house as president what would He CHANGE?