Current Events Watch

If you watched the debate, you probably have your own opinion about who “won.�? So do I.

Watching a presidential debate is sort of like watching re-runs of an advertorial. There’s usually not a lot of drama and there’s very little information that really rocks your boat. These debates are as choreographed as a production of the New York City Ballet.

But the Republican candidates’ debate in South Carolina in May and Sunday night’s Democratic hopefuls’ debate in New Hampshire actually delivered up a little excitement.

Rudy Giuliani lit a spark during the Republican debate. Giuliani was already in some hot water over abortion. He echoed my own thoughts as he said we need to “keep government out of peoples’ lives.�? Things really heated up when Congressman Ron Paul (Tex.) theorized the United States “invited�? September 11 because of our actions over the previous 10 years. Giuliani called Paul’s assertion “absurd�? and asked Paul to “withdraw his comment.�? I dubbed Giuliani the winner because he came across as a creature of flesh rather than celluloid.

Sen. Joe Biden (Del.) lit up the Democrats’ exchanges with a recommendation to go to public financing—to “reform elections.�? Considering the coffers Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) boasts, I thought Biden’s remarks were pretty exciting. He became very passionate when speaking about Darfur, saying, “We’ve got to stop talking about it.�? He made it clear the government in Sudan is going nowhere with solving the issue of genocide.

Not many surprises were in store from the “progressive party.�? For some candidates, you’re rich if you make more than $200,000 a year, and for others, you can make up to $250,000 a year before you become that dirty word “rich�? and set yourself up as a target for paying more federal taxes. All the candidates from both parties are rich, so I figure they’ll avail themselves of every business write-off the tax code permits when they raise taxes for the rest of us, and I’m betting it won’t be just for those they dub rich.

All the candidates want to get us out of Iraq. No big news there.

Some say Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) won Sunday’s debate. But he seemed preoccupied to me. He’s on the Veteran’s Affairs Committee, but he didn’t have an inkling about problems with medical care at Walter Reed Medical Center.

Some pundits gave the night to former Sen. John Edwards. I noticed an Australian news site has taken to calling him “Dr. Edwards,�? a tip of the hat to his law degree. Every good trial lawyer needs a title I suppose.

Other pundits ceded the win to Clinton. She has the passion of a metal paper clip. When she said we should have been using diplomacy with Iran, I wondered if she’d had a chance to catch the day’s news.

Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just told the world his plans for Israel. “God willing, in the near future we will witness the destruction of the corrupt occupier regime.” That comment is predictable. What’s intriguing is that right now, Iran is weighing the idea of “temporary marriage.” You can be married legally for less than 24 hours, hop into the sack and dissolve the union when you’re done. Authorities see it as a great way to curb prostitution–”God’s rule” say the holy men.

Reports are being circulated widely that Vermont wants to secede from the United States. Nobody asked about that one. I grew up in a state that tried seceding, and the result was akin to what is happening in parts of the Middle East right now.

For me, the true winner of Sunday night’s debate was Biden. He spoke with passion and he didn’t dodge questions as some candidates did.

I’m staying tuned until the Republicans debate again, and I’m wondering if they’ll get as much leeway as the candidates did last night. I hope so.

Leeway creates moments in debates that are actually human. You see an actual glimmer of truth.

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