Let's Rumble

Tonight is the first one-on-one Obama v. Hillary throwdown. This is must-see tv for me. We'll be doing some birthday festivities tonight, so I won't be live-blogging (not that I would anyway...) but somehow I am going to see this thing and get a post out of it.

Obama is starting things off early...

"... It's not enough to say you'll be ready from Day One — you have to be right from Day One..."

"[...] Democrats will win in November and build a majority in Congress not by nominating a candidate who will unite the other party against us, but by choosing one who can unite this country around a movement for change..."

"It is time for new leadership that understands the way to win a debate with John McCain or any Republican who is nominated is not by nominating someone who agreed with him on voting for the war in Iraq or who agreed with him in voting to give George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran, who agrees with him in embracing the Bush-Cheney policy of not talking to leaders we don't like, who actually differed with him by arguing for exceptions for torture before changing positions when the politics of the moment changed."

"It is about the past versus the future," he said. "And when I am the nominee, the Republicans won't be able to make this election about the past."

Goddamn, the Unity Pony can kick.

Or would you prefer the Pander Bear?

Clinton spent her day in Little Rock, Ark., before heading to Atlanta for speeches to the Southern Baptist Convention and a major Democratic fundraiser. She took a colorful diversion on the trip to Atlanta, heading down the aisle of her campaign plane serving peach cobbler to reporters and staffers.

"I love anything peach," Clinton said.

[/gag]

Tonight's debate is the best chance for both of them to land blows before Super Tuesday, and I expect things to get interesting. Debates are a format where Hillary has done better than Obama thusfar. He needs to bring his A-game tonite.