What if ABC NEWS had hosted the Lincoln-Douglas Debates?

Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, of ABC NEWS, have been roundly criticized for the shoddy job they did of moderating the last Democratic presidential debate, as you can read here. Which has led some to wonder, What if Gibson and Stephanopoulos had moderated the Lincoln-Douglas Debates?

Here’s what that debate may have looked like:

MR. GIBSON: So we’re going to begin with opening statements, and we had a flip of the coin, and the brief opening statement first from Mr. Lincoln.

LINCOLN: Thank you very much, Charlie and George, and thanks to all in the audience and who are out there. I appear before you today for the purpose of discussing the leading political topics which now agitate the public mind.

We are now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only not ceased, but has constantly augmented.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you think Mr. Douglas loves America as much you do?

LINCOLN: Sure I do.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But who loves America more?

LINCOLN: I’d prefer to get on with my opening statement George.

STEPHANOPOULOS: If your love for America were eight apples, how many apples would Senator Douglas’s love be?

LINCOLN: Eight.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Proceed.

LINCOLN: In my opinion, slavery will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached and passed. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Excuse me, did an Elijah H. Johnson attend your church?

LINCOLN: When I was a boy in Illinois forty years ago, yes. I think he was a deacon.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you aware that he regularly called Kentucky “a land of swine and whores”?

LINCOLN: Sounds right — his ex-wife was from Kentucky.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Why did you remain in the church after hearing those statements?

LINCOLN: I was eight.

DOUGLAS: This is an important question George — it’s an issue that certainly will be raised in the fall.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you denounce him?

LINCOLN: I’d like to get back to the divided house if I may.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you denounce and reject him?

LINCOLN: If it will make you shut up, yes, I denounce and reject him.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you denounce and reject him with sugar on top?

LINCOLN: Yes.

STEPHANOPOULOS: No takesies-backsies?

LINCOLN: Yes.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Whoa, so you would consider a takesie-backsie?

It goes on… you can read the rest at Obsidian Wings.

Fox News hit man taken to the shed by father

This father takes Faux News hit man to task… just brilliant, brilliant. Democratic politicians should take notes on how to respond to right wing talking heads from this man:

Sen. Obama reacts to ABC’s abysmally managed presidential debate

I gotta say, Sen. Obama is definitely feeling a lot more comfortable in his role as a presidential candidate. Here he’s reacting to the piss poor job that ABC’s news anchors did in conducting the latest Democratic presidential debate, and Sen. Obama is clearly comfortable throwing a few quick jabs and an upper cut or two:

Moron erroneously confuses Obama and Osama

Well played Mr. Obama, well played. At a recent Associated Press Q&A, a questioner confused Obama for Osama, and Sen. Obama gently corrected the embarrassed questioner… watch:

Guess which of the candidates has failed the commander in chief test?

Jon Soltz, co-founder of VoteVets.org and a veteran himself of the Iraq war, points out that the candidate touting his military record this presidential season has, in fact, incorrectly answered two basic questions. The first was, when McCain confused the Sunni and Shia populations or Iraq. And, now, the second question, “[W]ho commands what in our military?”

Mr. Soltz points out:

Just yesterday, John McCain seemed to say that General Petraeus is the top military commander of our Armed Forces, telling the Associated Press that he wouldn’t shift the focus of the military from Iraq to Afghanistan “unless Gen. [David] Petraeus said that he felt that the situation called for that.”

Petraeus, of course, is our commander of forces in Iraq. That’s it. He’s not responsible for Afghanistan, or our regional commitment, or our global commitments. As a Commander in Chief, McCain should know that there are people much more qualified to speak to our global strategy than Petraeus — including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Secretary of Defense, and the CENTCOM commander.

[...]

It sounds to me like Senator McCain has become confused because of the White House strategy. The White House, of course, has sent General Petraeus to Capitol Hill a number of times, and tried to paint it as an overall assessment of the global war on terror. If they were serious, they’d would have long ago sent the CENTCOM commander up for days upon days of hearings, followed by General McNeill, who could talk about the situation on the ground in Afghanistan, followed by General Petraeus.