The mostly civil Democratic debate Thursday night produced no knockouts, gaffes or clear winner — and in that respect, Barack Obama probably won, because Hillary Clinton did nothing to stop his momentum.
Except for one lame attack that drew boos (the “change you can Xerox†taunt), Clinton kept to the high road and turned down several opportunities to attack Obama or draw clear contrasts — declining, for instance, to challenge his readiness to be commander in chief.
And as several observers noted, Clinton’s closing remarks carried a valedictory tone, suggesting for the first time a recognition that she might lose this race.
With polls showing a dead heat in Texas and a tightening race in Ohio, and Obama’s ground campaign surging, she might see the writing on the wall.
She seems to have decided that, instead of ending ugly, she will finish the campaign on a high note of graciousness to unify Democrats and preserve her own reputation within the party.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board dismissed as a “nonbombshell†the questions about John McCain’s relationship with a female lobbyist. But it joined the hypocrisy argument in pointing out McCain’s “continued machinations within the election-finance rules that he did so much to create.†An editorial Friday noted how his campaign used its fundraising lists as collateral to borrow $3 million in November, and that it looked into borrowing another $1 million in January by pledging its eligibility for federal matching funds. This last maneuver caused the Federal Election Commission to warn McCain Thursday that he may not be able to withdraw from the presidential public financing system, which could significantly hamper his campaign. The Journal’s editorial observed: “It appears that Mr. McCain has been employing lawyers to game the campaign finance rules he hails as a defense against ‘corruption.’â€
Wal-Mart gets plenty of criticism about employee benefits and driving small retailers out of business. But it deserves credit for taking action on problems that Congress can’t seem to address.
“As the federal government debates how to wean the country from its addiction to oil, Wal-Mart just announced it would require suppliers to make major appliances that use 25 percent less energy within the next three years,†the New York Times recently reported. “While Congress wrings its hands over higher health care costs, Wal-Mart vowed to save companies $100 million this year by processing their prescription drug claims. (It already sells generic versions of prescription drugs for just $4, well below the national average.)†And since it started pushing compact fluorescent lightbulbs two years ago, Wal-Mart has sold 145 million of them, claiming to have saved enough electricity to forestall the need for three coal-fired power plants.
“We live in a time when people are losing confidence in the ability of government to solve problems,†said Wal-Mart chief executive H. Lee Scott Jr. But Wal-Mart “does not wait for someone else to solve problems.â€
Maybe Wal-Mart should tackle peace in the Middle East.
It’s encouraging that the Kansas Board of Regents is finally raising concerns about university tuition increases, our editorial today argues. In-state tuition and fees have more than doubled since 2002 at K-State and KU and risen 58æpercent at WSU. Debt loads have increased dramatically across the state university system, too, with the average borrower in the 2006 graduating class owing more than $17,000 in student loans.
Affordability is not more important than educational excellence. But the regents must guard against tuition rates that end up denying Kansans’ access to their higher education system.
Kansas isn’t the only place that needs to pass a public smoking ban. So does India — and before it’s too late. A recent study determined that there are 120 million smokers in India, half of them younger than 30, the Washington Post reported. India is expected to have nearly 1 million deaths a year due to smoking starting in 2010. More than half of those deaths would be among the poor, who likely have been easy prey for tobacco company marketing.
The following satirical headlines come from borowitzreport.com:
OBAMA CALLS PLAGIARISM FLAP ‘BEST OF TIMES, WORST OF TIMES’; Tells Hillary: ‘Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner’
ROGER CLEMENS NAMED NEW WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON; Bush Impressed By Pitcher’s Performance Before Congress
HILLARY SELLS OWN TEARS ON EBAY; ‘Hail Mary’ for Cash-strapped Campaign
OBAMA WINS COUNTRY MUSIC ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR; Extends Amazing String of Victories
DEMOCRATIC RACE POSES CHALLENGE FOR RACISTS, SEXISTS; Nowhere to Turn, Disgruntled Haters Say
FACEBOOK TO CO-SPONSOR WAR ON TERROR; Popular Networking Site Takes Aim at Jihad
HUCKABEE ASKS JESUS TO STIMULATE ECONOMY; Loaves, Fishes Key to Package
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
