Dems Complain About Rival's Complaining

Candidate also slams old issue: 'If I lose, it won't be because of race'

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama today rejected the idea of additional debates against Hillary Clinton, the Chicago Tribune reports. “I’m not ducking. We’ve had 21” debates, the senator said, insisting he prefers face-to-face talks with the kind of blue-collar voters who helped clinch Clinton’s Pennsylvania win. More»

Focus on electability mirrored campaign trail chatter, pundit says

(NEWSER) - George Stephanopolous has drawn fire for posing too many "gotcha" questions at last night's Democratic presidential debate on ABC, but the pundit is sticking to his guns. Stephanopolous says he didn't focus on electability over policy issues by accident. "It's not only, who will be the best president, but who has the best chance of winning," he told Talking Points Memo. More»

The pundits agree, and then split on blaming the inquisitors

(NEWSER) - The pundit class agrees for once: No one (at least in the Democratic Party) benefited from last night’s angry debate. But the left and the right disagree on who’s at fault:

• The first half was “garbage time,” Jonathan Cohn writes in the New Republic, with the moderators creating “a long infomercial about Obama’s electability issues.” Cohn is shocked that ABC’s finest hit so many nonsense issues—the Weathermen, the lapel pin, Bittergate—and Clinton didn’t hold up well either.

Clinton blasts Obama's anti-war stance; she gave 'in to Bush from day 1', he says

(NEWSER) - A week before the make-or-break primaries in Texas and Ohio, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sparred wearily, sometimes testily, in their 20th and perhaps last debate, on issues from health care to Iraq to who is more committed to Israel, MSNBC reports. Clinton blasted a recent Obama mailer that said her health plan would force lower-income Americans to buy health care; Obama defended the flier and derided her complaint, saying she has "constantly" attacked his campaign but "we haven't whined about it." More»

Final debate before March 4 vote is tonight

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama said today that both Democratic campaigns should chill out. “It is important for me as well as Sen. Clinton to communicate to our staffs as well that we’re both trying out for quarterback, but we’re on the same team,” said Obama. He noted that the trail has become noticeably "hotter" in recent days, the LA Times reports. More»