Were we watching the same debate Wed. night?  Because to hear Joe Klein and other Obama apologists talk, Hillary's suddenly the devil (republican) in Democrats clothing.  Let's get a few things straight here guys...

Hillary didn't set the tone of that debate by determining the questions - the moderators did.  To claim that she "went on the attack" is just complete and utter bullshit and it's time someone pointed that out. She had no more control over the tone of that debate than he did.  The only thing they could control as candidates and participants is how well things turned out for each of them by the answers they gave.

There's a reason people say Hillary won the debate - she handled the tough questions better than he did.  There was one question in particular that was designed to elicit one of Russert's signature gotcha moments from Hillary, and she answered it the only way she could.

Now folks have been declaring Hillary dead in the water since the Iowa results rolled in and she's proved them wrong time and time again.  New Hampshire, Nevada, Super Tuesday states and then Ohio and Texas - all of the millions of voters in those states told us this thing's not even close to being over.

And then comes Joe Klein...

He's taken Hillary's answer to a gotcha question in the debate Wednesday night (you boys thought only BO got those right?) and is trying to wave it about on one of the highest flagpoles in the land as proof that she can no longer win this thing.  She was asked about comments she may or may not have made in a conversation with Gov. Richardson.  She said yes, BO can beat McCain in the General election and that if he's our nominee, she'll do all she can to help make that happen.  She also said she's convinced she's got a better shot at beating him and that's why she was standing there in that debate Wednesday night.

She didn't say anything new Wed. night you guys - far from it.  She's been saying for months that if he gets the nod, she'll work her fingers to the bone to help put him over the top in the General election.  But Klein is clearly working from Axelrod's talking points on this one.  Forget that a) it was a political answer to a benign political question, and b) she whipped his ass on the important issues.  No, Axelrod declared that the main point of the debate and the press instantly embraced it.  

I woke up this morning with a gut feeling that the Philadelphia debate may have been the last straw for the Democratic Party, that the superdelegates are about to rush to Barack Obama in order to end this thing and liberate him to actually answer the Republican-style attacks that Hillary Clinton has been previewing. This New York Times piece is a pretty good indication of the zeitgeist. And these words from Obama pretty much sum up the current state of play:

"That [debate] was the rollout of the Republican campaign against me in November. It happened just a little bit early, but that is what they will do," Mr. Obama said. "They will try to focus on all these issues that don't have anything to do with how you are paying your bills at the end of the month. There's no doubt that I will have to respond sharply and crisply, then pivot to talk about what exactly are we going to do for the economy and what are we going to do about the war in Iraq."

I'll repeat this one more time for those who're having trouble following the facts - Hillary did NOT choose the questions for that debate.  The moderators did and yet here we have BO on the campaign trail implying that Hillary's the one who "attacked" him, and went all republican on his ass.  But that ignores the real point of what he's raised here - this was a taste of what the rethugs will be saying in the general if he's our nominee and he failed miserably in answering those questions!

Sadly, he's turning his failures into something that's the fault of his opponent in all this.

The moderators chose and asked the questions.

He failed miserably in answering them.

Hillary put in her two cents worth when it came to her turn - this was a debate after all, where BOTH get the chance to answer.  And don't you dare tell me he would have said "I pass guys - I wouldn't want to damage Hillary on the chance that she'll be our nominee" if the shoe were on the other foot.

Yet somehow, this is all Hillary's fault? Then Klein points to something BO said in an effort to pretend he was taking the high road in all this...

Until the nominating fight ends, Mr. Obama said, he is "trying to show some restraint." He added, "I won't have as much restraint with the Republicans."

He's trying to show some restraint? Seriously?  Is he fecking kidding me?  He's sent out Harry & Louise style flyers on health care, flyers that lie about Hillary's trade record that were later discredited (and he agreed they were wrong!), has just sent out those same flyers again in Pennsylvania, and of course there were those flyers in Nevada urging republicans to become Democrats for a day to keep Hillary from being elected... we won't even go into the negative radio ads he's run, or that TV ad where he claims to have never taken money from big oil (implying that Hillary has).  

Holy mackerel!  How stupid do they think the voters in this country are?

Add to that his attacks on her character over the past 14 months, where he and his henchmen have called her everything under the sun.  Take a look at what the campaign sent out in mid-March about BO's "restraint" when it comes to his attacks on Hillary...

The truth is that for months, the Obama campaign has been attacking Hillary, impugning her character and calling into question her lifetime of public service. And now the Chicago Tribune reports that Senator Obama is preparing a "full assault" on her "over ethics and transparency." To those who contend that Senator Obama is the clear frontrunner, I ask, to what end this "full assault" on Hillary?  

On CNN last Tuesday, Senator Obama said, "Well, look, Wolf, I think if you watch how we have conducted our campaign, we've been very measured in terms of how we talk about Senator Clinton. ... I have been careful to say, that I think that Senator Clinton is a capable person and that should she win the nomination, obviously, I would support her. You know, I'm not sure that we have been getting that same approach from the Clinton campaign."

The facts of this election stand in stark contrast to that statement. Senator Obama and his senior campaign officials have engaged in a systematic effort to question Hillary's integrity, credibility, and character. They have portrayed her as someone who would put her personal gain ahead of the lives of our troops, someone who would say or do anything to win an election, someone who is dishonest, divisive and disingenuous. They have adopted shop-worn anti-Clinton talking points, dusted them off and unleashed a torrent of unfounded character attacks against her.

Among other things, they have described Hillary - and her campaign - as:

"Disingenuous"
"Too polarizing to win"
'Divisive'
"Untruthful"
"Dishonest"
'Calculating'
"Saying and doing whatever it takes to win"
"Attempting to deceive the American people"
"One of the most secretive politicians in America"
"Literally willing to do anything to win"
"Playing politics with war"

To top it off, they have blanketed big states with false radio ads and negative mailers -- ads and mailers that experts have debunked time and time again. They have distributed health care brochures using Republican framing. They have tried to draw a nexus between Hillary's votes and the death of her friend Benazir Bhutto. And one of Senator Obama's top advisers (who has since left the campaign) recently called Hillary "a monster."

This "full assault" on Hillary comes from the very top of the Obama campaign, not surrogates and supporters.

This "full assault" is being directed at someone I personally know to be a thoughtful, brilliant, principled, compassionate person, someone the world knows as a good Democrat, a trailblazer, a lifelong champion for children and families, a respected former first lady, a senator, a presidential candidate.
This "full assault" is targeting a staff of hundreds of hard-working, dedicated Democrats, who I've had the privilege of working with for the past 14 months.

This is a hard-fought campaign - as it should be. Like any candidate for elected office, Hillary has made clear why she thinks she would do a better job than her opponent. She has laid out comprehensive policy proposals, put forth her 35-year record of accomplishment, and spent countless days introducing herself to voters across the country. She has said that she is far better prepared to take on John McCain on national security. She has contended that she is the candidate with the experience to confront the GOP attack machine. She has argued that she is more electable. She has said that Senator Obama's words are not matched by actions. And she has challenged him to live up to core Democratic values and goals such as universal health care.

I recall indignation online at the suggestion that Senator Obama has not made the case that he is ready to be Commander in Chief -- the concern being that this would be terribly detrimental to him in a general election. As I blogged recently, and as many of you know, I spent 2004 in the Kerry-Edwards war room, and I understand full well that national security will be front and center in the general election. It's not a matter of choice. And the reality is that the public views Hillary as better prepared to take on Senator McCain when it comes to national security. Democrats must factor that in as they nominate a candidate to win in November.  

If that suggestion is potentially harmful to Senator Obama in a general election, how exactly do the personal attacks against Hillary (which echo and reinforce rightwing talking points) help her in the event she wins the nomination? I recall no similar outrage at those harsh attacks on her character, many of which were directed at her when she was the clear frontrunner and seen as the likely nominee.    

Both candidates are running a vigorous campaign. Both have had surrogates or supporters who have crossed the line and made offensive statements that they rejected. And these offensive statements are an unfortunate part of a long and close campaign. Those who make a habit of automatically assuming and ascribing to only one candidate the worst motives, ignoring more reasonable and benign explanations, who substitute conjecture for fact and then use those assumed 'facts' as a foundation on which to pile more conjecture about only one candidate's intentions, who express anger at negative campaigning and perceived dirty tricks but focus on only one candidate's words and actions, risk losing credibility. And those who conclude from that one-sided reasoning that Hillary ought to stop seeking victory, should ask themselves if quitting in the middle of a hard-fought - and winnable - contest is a desirable attribute in a future president.

Hillary has rightfully stated that as Democrats we should be proud of our field of candidates. And it is truly inspiring to see the level of enthusiasm among voters this cycle. We should encourage as many people as possible to become part of this process and to forcefully advocate for their candidate of choice. But there is a sharp line between supporting a candidate (and excusing their faults, which all supporters do to some degree) and conducting a "full assault" on an opponent's integrity and character. The Obama campaign's unabashed attacks on Hillary's honesty and trustworthiness should give every Democrat pause.

Yeah... that's some restraint all right.  I'd hate to see what he'd be like if he opened up a can of that Chicago smack-down politics he threatened her with last fall.

Klein closes out his screed with a bit of wishful thinking, saying that he thinks the supers are going to start heading to his guy in response to all of Hillary's "negative" campaigning.

I got news for you Joe... If anyone's gone negative in this race it's your guy Obama.  Wise the hell up and quit trying to throw this election to your candidate before millions of voters have had their say in this.  You want to live in a Democracy (you know... with a big "D"?), then you need to shut the fuck up and let the voters in PA, IN, NC, OR, KY & PR etc have their say.

Otherwise, you're no better than the Republicans.

I'd like to leave you with a bit of food for thought and remind Joe and all the other Hillary-haters out there of just how wrong the pundits have gotten things so far in this race.  They've been trying to declare Hillary's candidacy over for months and yet... here she is standing strong.  Take a look at their record so far...

THE PUNDITS
Hillary Clinton will lose New Hampshire and the race will be over
THE REALITY
Hillary Clinton wins New Hampshire, defying the predictions and the polls

THE PUNDITS
Hillary Clinton will lose the big states on Super Tuesday and the race will be over
THE REALITY
Hillary Clinton wins the big states on Super Tuesday - and wins them by double digits

THE PUNDITS
Hillary Clinton will lose Texas and possibly Ohio on March 4th and the race will be over
THE REALITY
Hillary Clinton wins both Texas and Ohio on March 4th - and she wins Ohio by double digits

THE PUNDITS
Despite Hillary Clinton's big victories on March 4th, "the math" works decisively against her and the race is essentially over
THE REALITY
The math is simple: neither candidate has reached the number of delegates required to secure the nomination and either candidate can win

THE PUNDITS
Barack Obama is substantially ahead in the pledged delegate count; pledged delegates are the only measure of success; therefore the race is essentially over
THE REALITY
The candidates are within fractions of one another on delegates; Barack Obama needs super delegates to win; and a marginal pledged delegate lead does not determine the outcome  

THE PUNDITS
Barack Obama is substantially ahead in the popular vote; Florida and Michigan don't count; therefore the race is essentially over
THE REALITY
The popular vote is virtually tied; half of Barack Obama's narrow vote advantage is from his home state; and his lead excludes Florida and Michigan

THE PUNDITS
Once the remaining states vote, Barack Obama will be substantially ahead in delegates and votes and the race will be over
THE REALITY
The race is a dead heat now and no one knows where things will end up after millions of remaining voters in the upcoming states make their choice

THE PUNDITS
Hillary Clinton's situation is dire; her campaign is struggling; her supporters are disillusioned and desperate  
THE REALITY
Hillary Clinton and her supporters are calm, confident, and focused heading into the key state of PA, where she is running strong

THE PUNDITS
Hillary Clinton's campaign lacks significant grassroots energy; only one candidate has mobilized supporters to take action for the campaign
THE REALITY
Hillary Clinton's supporters across America have written letters, blogged, donated tens of millions of dollars, volunteered millions of hours and made millions of calls

THE PUNDITS
There is a loud and growing chorus of voices asking Hillary Clinton to withdraw from the race
THE REALITY
Precisely the same number of voters (22%) think Barack Obama should drop out of the race as Hillary Clinton

THE PUNDITS
Hillary Clinton is the candidate running a negative, divisive campaign; she is throwing the "kitchen sink" at Barack Obama
THE REALITY
Barack Obama has been throwing the sink, the stove, the plates and the garbage can at Hillary Clinton, attacking her integrity and character every day

THE PUNDITS
For Hillary to win the nomination, super delegates will have to "overturn the will of the people"
THE REALITY
The will of the people is split and both candidates need - and are making their case to - super delegates

THE PUNDITS
Hillary Clinton is threatening to poach pledged delegates from Barack Obama
THE REALITY
Barack Obama is reportedly already trying to poach pledged delegates from Hillary Clinton

THE PUNDITS
Florida and Michigan's voters won't be heard and their delegates won't be seated all because of complicated procedural roadblocks
THE REALITY
Barack Obama is intentionally disenfranchising voters in two critical states for purely political reasons, namely, that he'll lose his small advantage if they count

THE PUNDITS
Every single word or action from Hillary Clinton, her campaign, her surrogates and her supporters is part of a calculated and cynical political strategy
THE REALITY
Hillary Clinton is a loyal Democrat, a lifelong public servant, a tireless and tenacious candidate, and is fighting hard - and fair - to win with the help of millions of dedicated supporters

This woman doesn't back down - no way - no how.

UPDATED