Rocky XXXIVCMII OR Dems debate in Philly tonight

O.k., I have no idea if that's a real number in the headline. But I do know that Clinton and Obama will be debating tonight on ABC. And it's been literally weeks since we last saw these two on stage together. Who will it be tonight? Obama the charmer? Or snarky Obama of "You're nice enough" fame? Will Clinton be able to walk that impossible tightrope the American public insists upon for her of being really really tough but still a lady?


The polls are up and down and every which way, so I just don't know. But I do know this: be sure you have a tall glass of your favorite beverage nearby as you watch the debate tonight.

Let the "Obama Drinking Games" begin!

Court allows MSNBC to bar Kucinich

UPDATE: Oh no they didn't!

Nevada Supreme Court Says MSNBC Can Bar Kucinich From Candidate Debate

Basically the Nevada Supremes said that MSNBC is free to invite or dis invite anyone it wants to these debates because ... FCC rules don't apply to cable tv. I hear a collective "Oh that's right -- that's why all these nut jobs can appear on cable tv and say whatever they want."

The state Supreme Court's unanimous order said that blocking the debate unless Kucinich got to participate would be "an unconstitutional prior restraint" on the news network's First Amendment rights. The justices also said the lower court exceeded its jurisdiction by ordering Kucinich's participation even though he first requested and was denied relief from the Federal Communications Commission.

God bless Dennis Kucinich. Just when I think he's down for the count, he pops back up again. He has kind of turned me off as of late because of some of the campaign talk he's done. But you do have to give him credit for determination in the face of unsurmountable odds. Although NBC originally invited him to appear in the debates in Las Vegas tonight, the network changed its mind after the New Hampshire primary, and dis-invited him. You do not dis-invite Dennis Kucinich to anything, it turns out. From the AP:

LAS VEGAS – NBC News said it will appeal a judge's ruling rather than include Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich in a candidates' debate Tuesday in Nevada.

“We disagree with the judge's decision and are filing an appeal,” said a statement provided for the network by Jeremy Gaines, a communications vice president for MSNBC. He said the network would seek an immediate hearing before the Nevada Supreme Court.

“I'm somewhat offended that a legitimate candidate was invited to a debate and then uninvited under circumstances that appear to be that they just decided to exclude him,” the judge said.

My question now is: What idiotic questions will Tim Russert ask the Ohio Congressman if NBC is forced to include Kucinich??

Has the media already decided who will be the Democratic candidate?

Did you try to watch the Democratic debates last night? If so, I'm sure you were scratching your head at the beginning, thinking “Are they only going to ask questions of Clinton and Obama?” And, “Will Tim Russert ever shut up?”

It sure seemed that way, and well, that's not far from the truth. Sen. Chris Dodd's folks have been keeping track of debate time with a “Talk Clock” to track how equitable the airtime is that's given to the candidates. Last night's results:



Should the moderators really have more airtime than 4 of the 6 candidates in the debate?