Demo Derby

Eight candidates for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination fielded questions form NBC anchor Brian Williams April 26 at South Carolina State University . In case you did not catch the forum (mislabeled as a "debate"), here is the Glazerbeam take on it.

First, the questions posed by Mr Williams were often insulting, rather than probing. For example, Senator Biden was asked about his "uncontrolled verbosity", Senator Cllinton was asked about polls showing "high negatives" and Representative Kucinich and ex-Senator Gravel were categorized as sure losers. (OK, some of this is true.) Questions submitted by middle school students, bar-patrons or nursing home residents would probably have been more informative. Most of the candidates took the nasty barbs in good spirits.

But how did the candidates do?

Senator Hillary Clinton, the only woman in the race and the only ex-First Lady ever to run for office, would have stood out in the crowd without really trying. On the question about how to respond to terrorism, Clinton was the only candidate to use "retaliate" in her answer. She replied to other questions with confidence and knowledge, and probably confirmed her front-runner status.

Senator Barack Obama, whom fellow candidate Biden had previously praised as "articulate," was no more so than any of the other contenders on stage. He was affable and competent, but not very impressive. He opined that the Palestinians suffered as a result of the failure of their own leaders to make peace with Israel.

Ex-Senator John Edwards, the 2004 nominee for Vice President, seemed to have memorized a speech and delivered parts of it in response to questions. For example, Edwards ( a multi-millionaire) told a story about how his father had taken his family to a restaurant, but left without ordering because he could not afford the meals. The question was why Edwards paid for his $600 haircut with campaign funds. (True answer: good hair is the key to his appeal as a candidate for President!)

Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, two white-haired guys who have been in office as long as anyone can remember, gave similar bland answers to most questions. They will probably split the vote of those looking for a bland, older white man to nominate.

Governor Bill Richards, former Ambassador to the UN and Secretary of Energy, gave precise and relevant answers to every question. He was remarkably candid when he admitted giving Attorney General Alberto Gonzales some slack because he is a fellow Hispanic . Unlike the other candidates, Richards is not for more gun-control, except to keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill. ( This could be a tall order.)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who failed miserably in his 2004 quest for the Democratic nomination, emphasized his vote against the Iraq War and his demand for an immediate withdrawal of American troops. He also offered to be an "even-handed" mediator between Israelis and Palestinians. The ex-Mayor of Cleveland came off as hard-left, mean-spirited, and bit self-righteous. Since nobody was for him anyway, he had nothing to lose.

Ex-Senator Mike Gravel, who had nominated himself for Vice President at the 1972 Democratic National Convention, could replace the late Rodney Dangerfield as the "man who gets no respect." Gravel complained that he was treated like a "potted palm" by the moderator, who seldom asked him anything. Gravel gives you an impression of what Kucinich might be like in about 25 years, assuming he is out of office all that time. In 2008, his main accomplishment might be to save Kucinich from the shame of coming last in every primary.

In my judgment, Hillary strengthened her lead, Barack and Edwards slipped a little, and Richardson picked up some support from people who had never heard of him before. The rest of them will keep fighting it out for last place.