The Post Time Tribune Debate
Moderator: Welcome to the Post Time Tribune Debate. Tonight we have the remaining candidates on the Democratic side, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barak Obama. We also have the republican nominee John McCain.
Mike Huckabee: Um. Excuse me. I am still running for president. I have over 200 delegates. I won two primaries since Super Tuesday, the Kansas caucus and the Louisiana primary. Senator Clinton hasn't won any.
Moderator: I'm sorry Governor Huckabee, but clearly you aren't viable.
Huckabee: I received only a 4% smaller share of votes in Wisconsin than Hillary Clinton. I received 41% of the republican vote in Virginia when Senator Clinton only received 37% of the democratic vote.
Moderator: I'm sorry senator Huckabee, but the fact that Hillary Clinton is no longer a viable candidate doesn't mean we also have to invite you to these debates.
Hillary Clinton: Hellllooo. I'm standing right here.
Moderator: [Continues.] The republican party and democratic party have different rules about viability. And the democratic party rules clearly state that the wife of a former president can be in all the debates regardless of how many primaries she loses and that she also has the right to threaten Superdelegates with death if they don't vote for her at the convention.
Huckabee: But they had me on Saturday Night Live and the Colbert Report and even Conan. Under the republican rules a candidate that appears on three late night talk shows in a month can appear in the debates.
Moderator: I apologize Governor Huckabee. You may participate. The first question goes to Senator Clinton. Senator Clinton, you've argued that you are the candidate of experience. What does that mean?
Clinton: Look. I'm not saying that Barack Obama is a useless idiot who doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. I'm just saying that on day one we need a president who isn't a useless idiot and can tell her ass from a hole in the ground. And I have 35 years of experience while Senator Obama has been in the Senate for an hour and a half. In fact before Barack Obama even entered law school, I was working for the American people by sitting on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart.
Moderator: But aren't you afraid that when Senator Obama wins the nomination...
Clinton: Don't you mean "if"?
Moderator: ... that John McCain can make those same arguments against Senator Obama and that all you are doing is causing damage unnecessarily to the ultimate democratic nominee?
Clinton: I have every intention of winning the nomination.
Moderator: Ok. Let's assume that you do win the nomination, can't Senator McCain make the same arguments about experience about you, since you've only been in the Senate for seven years, while John McCain has been in the Senate for twenty years, was in the House of Representatives for four years, and was in the US Navy for 23 years before that. Doesn't the argument about experience cut against you if you go up against Senator McCain?
Clinton: No it doesn't. Just because Senator McCain has more experience than I have, does not mean that he would be a better president than I would. The real issue is judgment.
Moderator: But if judgment is the issue, then isn't Senator Obama's opposition to the war relevant because he opposed the war in Iraq, which you now agree was a mistake?
Clinton: Isn't anyone else supposed to answer questions? It's not fair that I get all the questions.
Huckabee: I'd like a question.
Moderator: Senator Obama you have often spoken about hope and change. What do you mean? What sort of change would you effect in Washington that Senator Clinton could not?
Barack Obama: First I would like to say, "Yes we can." Hope is what inspires all Americans. Hope is the hope that change will come. Change is the change that people will once again hope. Americans long for hope. Because we haven't had hope. Hope is beautiful and wonderful. And it is my hope, to change America to bring back their hope that things will change and people can hope again. Yes we can.
Moderator: Senator Obama, what do you mean by "Yes we can."
Obama: Yes we can hope. Yes we can change. Yes we can hope for change. Yes we can change and have hope.
Moderator: Senator McCain you are 71 years old. If you are elected president, you will be older than Ronald Reagan was when he was sworn into office. How do you counter the argument that you are too old to be president?
John McCain: My mother is 92 and healthy. I could, therefore, be president for twenty years before I die.
Moderator: But didn't your father die when he was seventy? Couldn't you die any minute now?
McCain: Well, I'm alive aren't I. I give the American people straight talk. And if I die, I promise that the American people will be the first to know.
Moderator: Senator McCain you have stated that the American military will be in Iraq for 100 years. Are you insane?
McCain: When I say that the American military will be in Iraq, I mean like they are in South Korea, just sitting there doing nothing. No one getting hurt.
Moderator: But wouldn't such a long term troop presence in Iraq still create a huge drain on the military preventing the US from completing missions elsewhere?
McCain: We might as well keep the troops in Iraq because that way they won't have to come all the way back when we invade Iran in 2009. I am the only candidate who supported the surge. The surge worked. Therefore, I should be president.
Moderator: Well, that's all the time we have for this debate. Next week the candidates will debate who went negative first, whether Bill Clinton should shut up, and healthcare.
Huckabee: Don't I get to answer a question?
Moderator: Good night.
Note: Every fact in this debate is true to the best of the knowledge of the editors of The Post Times Tribune.
Mike Huckabee: Um. Excuse me. I am still running for president. I have over 200 delegates. I won two primaries since Super Tuesday, the Kansas caucus and the Louisiana primary. Senator Clinton hasn't won any.
Moderator: I'm sorry Governor Huckabee, but clearly you aren't viable.
Huckabee: I received only a 4% smaller share of votes in Wisconsin than Hillary Clinton. I received 41% of the republican vote in Virginia when Senator Clinton only received 37% of the democratic vote.
Moderator: I'm sorry senator Huckabee, but the fact that Hillary Clinton is no longer a viable candidate doesn't mean we also have to invite you to these debates.
Hillary Clinton: Hellllooo. I'm standing right here.
Moderator: [Continues.] The republican party and democratic party have different rules about viability. And the democratic party rules clearly state that the wife of a former president can be in all the debates regardless of how many primaries she loses and that she also has the right to threaten Superdelegates with death if they don't vote for her at the convention.
Huckabee: But they had me on Saturday Night Live and the Colbert Report and even Conan. Under the republican rules a candidate that appears on three late night talk shows in a month can appear in the debates.
Moderator: I apologize Governor Huckabee. You may participate. The first question goes to Senator Clinton. Senator Clinton, you've argued that you are the candidate of experience. What does that mean?
Clinton: Look. I'm not saying that Barack Obama is a useless idiot who doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. I'm just saying that on day one we need a president who isn't a useless idiot and can tell her ass from a hole in the ground. And I have 35 years of experience while Senator Obama has been in the Senate for an hour and a half. In fact before Barack Obama even entered law school, I was working for the American people by sitting on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart.
Moderator: But aren't you afraid that when Senator Obama wins the nomination...
Clinton: Don't you mean "if"?
Moderator: ... that John McCain can make those same arguments against Senator Obama and that all you are doing is causing damage unnecessarily to the ultimate democratic nominee?
Clinton: I have every intention of winning the nomination.
Moderator: Ok. Let's assume that you do win the nomination, can't Senator McCain make the same arguments about experience about you, since you've only been in the Senate for seven years, while John McCain has been in the Senate for twenty years, was in the House of Representatives for four years, and was in the US Navy for 23 years before that. Doesn't the argument about experience cut against you if you go up against Senator McCain?
Clinton: No it doesn't. Just because Senator McCain has more experience than I have, does not mean that he would be a better president than I would. The real issue is judgment.
Moderator: But if judgment is the issue, then isn't Senator Obama's opposition to the war relevant because he opposed the war in Iraq, which you now agree was a mistake?
Clinton: Isn't anyone else supposed to answer questions? It's not fair that I get all the questions.
Huckabee: I'd like a question.
Moderator: Senator Obama you have often spoken about hope and change. What do you mean? What sort of change would you effect in Washington that Senator Clinton could not?
Barack Obama: First I would like to say, "Yes we can." Hope is what inspires all Americans. Hope is the hope that change will come. Change is the change that people will once again hope. Americans long for hope. Because we haven't had hope. Hope is beautiful and wonderful. And it is my hope, to change America to bring back their hope that things will change and people can hope again. Yes we can.
Moderator: Senator Obama, what do you mean by "Yes we can."
Obama: Yes we can hope. Yes we can change. Yes we can hope for change. Yes we can change and have hope.
Moderator: Senator McCain you are 71 years old. If you are elected president, you will be older than Ronald Reagan was when he was sworn into office. How do you counter the argument that you are too old to be president?
John McCain: My mother is 92 and healthy. I could, therefore, be president for twenty years before I die.
Moderator: But didn't your father die when he was seventy? Couldn't you die any minute now?
McCain: Well, I'm alive aren't I. I give the American people straight talk. And if I die, I promise that the American people will be the first to know.
Moderator: Senator McCain you have stated that the American military will be in Iraq for 100 years. Are you insane?
McCain: When I say that the American military will be in Iraq, I mean like they are in South Korea, just sitting there doing nothing. No one getting hurt.
Moderator: But wouldn't such a long term troop presence in Iraq still create a huge drain on the military preventing the US from completing missions elsewhere?
McCain: We might as well keep the troops in Iraq because that way they won't have to come all the way back when we invade Iran in 2009. I am the only candidate who supported the surge. The surge worked. Therefore, I should be president.
Moderator: Well, that's all the time we have for this debate. Next week the candidates will debate who went negative first, whether Bill Clinton should shut up, and healthcare.
Huckabee: Don't I get to answer a question?
Moderator: Good night.
Note: Every fact in this debate is true to the best of the knowledge of the editors of The Post Times Tribune.
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