Dem Debate Oddly Like 'SNL' Parody

Hillary Clinton was so taken by last week's "Saturday Night Live" sketch that had moderators fawning over Barack Obama in a debate between the two candidates that she brought it up in the real debate last night. And the debate lived up to the SNL spoof, Alessandra Stanley writes in the New York Times: the anchors needled her constantly and seemed to go out of their way to show Obama at his unflappable best.

The MSNBC team showed two unflattering clips of Clinton; Tim Russert hounded her  about everything from ancient positions to the name of Vladimir Putin's successor; Brian Williams was visibly annoyed when Clinton tried to postpone a commercial to finish her point. Clinton complained that she's too often asked the tough questions, and suggested facetiously, “maybe we should ask Barack if he's comfortable and needs another pillow.” Whether playing the victim was a good strategy, Stanley writes, the debate seemed designed to make her case. (More Hillary Clinton stories.)