Debate Opportunities

Perhaps stung by (unfounded) allegations from the mainstream media, right-wing blogs, pundits sympathetic to the GOP, and Repub politicians that unnamed "Democrats" have been unfairly attacking Sarah Palin, the Biden-Obama ticket appears to be ignoring John McCain's running mate.

In the presidential debate on Friday, 9/26/08, Barack Obama was given at least two openings, which he chose to bypass, to respond effectively to John McCain by invoking the name of the Alaska governor.

Early in the debate, McCain criticized earmarks and pork-barrel spending and quipped:

You know, we spent $3 million to study the DNA of bears in Montana. I don’t know if that was a criminal issue or a paternal issue, but the fact is that it was $3 million of our taxpayers’ money. And it has got to be brought under control.

This gave Obama an opportunity to respond "not the $3 million to study the DNA of bears in Montana, nor the $3.2 million in part to study the genetics of harbor seals in Alaska, as Governor Palin requested."

In another instance, McCain had been asked about Afghanistan and replied in part:

Now, on this issue of aiding Pakistan, if you’re going to aim a gun at somebody, George Shultz, our great secretary of state, told me once, you’d better be prepared to pull the trigger.
I’m not prepared at this time to cut off aid to Pakistan. So I’m not prepared to threaten it, as Senator Obama apparently wants to do, as he has said that he would announce military strikes into Pakistan.

Obama's response was reasonably effective but he could have added: "Apparently Governor Palin disagrees with you because when asked whether we have the right to go across the border, with or without the approval of the Pakistani government, she stated "we must do whatever it takes." So before you take off after me for wanting to go after terrorists on the Pakistani border, Senator, you may want to debate your running mate."

Sure, McCain is at the top of the ticket and the debate was with him. But pointing out a major difference between the presidential and the vice-presidential candidates probably would have been effective, and at worse highlighted John McCain's decision to select someone unfocused, unformed, and with few clues about foreign policy in a dangerous world.