Russert's UFO and other Debate Mysteries

A few thoughts on last night's debate:

* "Where's Mike?" Isn't it amazing that GE and NBC could suddenly drop me from the debates and none of my opponents would even comment on it? It's like Stalin's Russia when someone would just stop showing up for work but no one in the office dared to ask; "Hey, what ever happened to Ivan?" What does it say about the state of American politics and the Democratic Party when our presidential candidates don't have the guts to question a TV network?

* Sticks and Carrots? Great to see Edwards and Obama finally challenge Clinton for supporting the march toward war with Iran. For months I've been educating the public about this phony crisis. My many Huffington posts and my "I'm ashamed of you, Hillary" moment in the last debate got me in big trouble with the power elite. But last night's Hillary-bashing rang false. Was it based on genuine disagreement or just political calculation? Obama, after all, refused to vote on the Kyl-Lieberman amendment. And last night I still heard a lot of tough talk from almost all the candidates about never allowing Iran to go nuclear, keeping all options on the table and "sticks and carrots." Sticks and carrots? Maybe a good way to start diplomacy would be to show the Iranians some respect and stop referring to them as donkeys that must be bribed or beaten into compliance.

* Tim Russert's UFO. Once again Russert assumed his role as the establishment's Hatchetman. Last debate, he sandbagged me with the bankruptcy question. This time he clocked Dennis with the UFO. When is Russert going to ask Hillary about the billing records or the cattle futures during a debate? Russert is America's most overrated journalist (Wolf Blitzer's a close second). Russert failed to challenge administration flacks in the lead up to Iraq (remember, he was one of Scooter Libby's go-to journalists) and now he's joined the drum beat for war with Iran. Last night he repeatedly pestered the candidates: "Will you pledge that when you're president, Iran will not develop nukes?" Was that a question? A twisted mantra? Or was it a demand for a profession of faith that we need to bomb Iran? Talk about trying to undermine diplomacy. Enough of Tim Russert!

Last night's debate showed that my campaign has reshaped the national debate about Iran. This is exactly what the warmongers and profiteers feared -- an aggressive opposition with a national platform. And this is why I wasn't invited last night.

But I'm still the race and I've been invited to other debates. I hope that if another network suddenly decides to exclude me, maybe I'll get some support from the candidates who are now following my lead.

Comments

[squawkbox]

I am very sad that the oligopoly has sliced Mike Gravel off from the public debate. So-called "minor" candidates are important in a democracy because they can--as Gravel and Kucinich have shown--affect the debate if not the final results. And who really made the decision to push Gravel away from the public arena? Was it GE-owned NBC, who may have found his perspective uncomfortable? The pundits, who like to see a "horse race" and ignore the "dark horse" candidates? Or was it the Dems, who are striving to look like a pack of winners, even though they appear--to me, at least--like the sorriest bunch of losers this side of Ross Perot? It's sad for democracy when some "invisible hand" is limiting the breadth of the debate.

[zizyphus]

Russert is supposed to be a journalist?

Gravel is right, and tells the truth as usual. Sadly, the truth is something no one wants to hear these days. However, do not let that deter you, Mike! Just keep on.