A lot has happened in the six weeks since the last debate.

OK here is my prediction — Hillary is going to hit Obama on experience and being "out of touch" with PA voters. Both may try to throw in an attack on John McCain, to appear more like a general election candidate.

Thoughts?

In addition to being endorsed by Bruce Springsteen today, Obama also received this endorsement:

Obama also won backing from the American Hunters and Shooters
Association, a newly formed rival to the zealously pro-gun National
Rifle Association.

The AHSA endorsed Obama for president, citing his vote in 2006 for a law
that forbids authorities from confiscating legally owned firearms during
a Hurricane Katrina-type disaster.

"We believe recent attacks on Senator Obama's stand on the
(constitutional gun rights) Second Amendment... are unfair," association
president Ray Schoenke told reporters on a conference call.

"We know Senator Obama gets it. To say he is an elitist is patently
ridiculous," he said, noting that Clinton had voted against the 2006 law
and arguing that McCain had "flip-flopped all over the place" on gun
rights.

What Bruce said:

Dear Friends and Fans:

Like most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.

He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where "...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone."

At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams From My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.

After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.

Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President

I'm curious about the tone it's going to take. Will it be completely gloves off? Or, in a safe but snoozerama move, will they both just try to fly under the radar and just hang on to what they're working with now? Methinks the former but secretly hope for the latter. Policy-shmolicy

jillness obama also picked up the support of 3 supers today! good day for obama if i might say so. i think this debate will be alright, everytime i look forward to one hoping there will be fireworks it always ends up being kind of boring. if she brings up the 'elitist' or 'out of touch' stuff i think it will end up comming back around in a karmic kind of way come tuesday(im crossing my fingers,lol) because really i think this whole thing was overplayed and she def. overplayed her hand on the issue. i have confidence though that obama will do very well tonight. hopefully though there wont be an almost 20 min back and forth about healthcare, b/c last time that was just too much...

I think Hillary's campaign has everything invested in Pennsylvania. If she doesn't get 65% or more there, she is done. I think she will not only throw the kitchen sink tonight, but also the plumbing in the basement and the sewer line.

I hope Mr.O is prepared! He doesn't usually have the zingers that she does.

I think that Clinton is in serious trouble. She can't go after Obama anymore without being seen as desparate. If she doesn't really go after him, she won't get back the ground she has lost to Obama. Either way, come DNC time, she will be behind in the popular vote, behind in the delegate vote, and the super delegates will be very hard pressed to choose her over the Democratic favorite. She needs Obama to do something major, like kick a baby or something, to turn her chances around.

OK ABC . . . where is the debate? Is anybody seeing it?

"She needs Obama to do something major, like kick a baby or something, to turn her chances around."

That just might do it!

OK, so I'm prepared to enter the anti-San Francisco chorus! The local news is on instead of the debate!!!

I'm following along online. I could use some help, too! I hope it will kick in soon.

Frustration better than bitter?

Renounce better than reject?

OK . . .So network news has decided the west coast won't get this live. So you'll have to comment without me until 8 PST! All you west coasters, let's chat then.

Man, oh man! Stupid rotation of the earth not fast enough to get us the debate live! Argh! The suspense is killllling me!

I am in the same boat with you guys! My tivo is already set for 8:00, although I will probably be home watching it at that time anyway.

Anyone watching it live? The suspense is killing me!

There is zero chance of me being able to watch this "live" here, so I can't wait to read the recap and all the Sugar-heads impressions and opinions of how the debate went down (while I wait for YouTube clips to be posted)!

well for everyone not able to watch, its been 45 minutes of the san fransico comments, rev. wright and william ayers oh and why obama doesnt wear a flag pin. can i also point out that john mccain doesnt wear a flag pin either where is all the outrage over that or does he get a free pass b/c he served the country honorably? seriously its like a freaking gossip debate its the dumbest of all the debates so far, no real questions or anything. i read on dailykos that the george guy was taking questions from sean hannity of all people!

I'm watching and Obama looks really tired. Hilary is as as ever and I'm ready for this processes to be over.

Conniving

I'm sorry, I was too busy watching the pens beat the senators in 4 games straight...

Honestly just because Ed Rendell has been annoying towards Obama I would change my vote because if that guy is endorsing Clinton so strongly I really am leery about his actions.

I haven't see it yet either. I saw a little clip of it and they both seemed tired but I think they are both handling it pretty well. Someone needs to hurry up and post it on Youtube!

I wish I had cable in my dorm so I could watch it!

Alright . . . countdown until west coast showdown.

George Steponapholous? (spelling is so wrong, I know).

They couldn't have picked a moderator who hadn't worked for one of the two people?

Does anyone else feel this way?

Yeah... maybe they are trying to avoid a SNL pillow reference. It will be harder for Hillary to claim a media bias.

Oh wow. Bring on the Constitutional puns.

Noooo to the running mate thing. They have such different styles, it wouldn't be a team that would work well together. We need to get stuff done, not appease people's sense of pride.

I'm glad Obama is stepping up and explaining his point about people being frustrated with the government.

I think he should just not say the word "they." For some reason I think it changes the message a bit.

I think if they were sitting down, they would fall asleep.

"When those issues are exploited, we never get to solve the issues that people really have to get some relief on whether it is healthcare, or education, or jobs."

it's on in the west coast. anyone around?

well get ready b/c your in for about another 45 minutes of nothing but a gossip debate as i pointed out before...it was just an awful debate hands down. and yeah i dont understand why someone who wasin bill clinton's campaign in 92 is moderating this debate total conflict of interest in opinion.

When she said that people are ready for leadership that will summon them to something greater than themselves...it sounds like she is talking about Obama.

Wow. Is this a debate about the campaign, or about what they would do as president. We have regressed quite a bit . . .

If they weren't talking about YouTube, what issue(s) would you like to see them talking about?

He is so right about beating a phrase to death! It doesn't help us to focus on the trivial.

Wow, good strategy to show how Hillary is also a victim of the same tactic.

Her response seemed a little to catty in contrast to his positivity. She is like, "No! Let's stay in the mud!"

ah i hate them beating this reverend comments to the ground. i think his speech a few weeks ago handled that well enough, and that honestly, that should not have scandalized his campaign as it did. but right now, thats not an important issue. the point is, in a few months, we are voting for our next president and we dont know the democratic nominee right now. they shouldnt be talking about things that have happened, but working on "selling themselves" to us as people, so we can see why we are going to vote for them.

Why are these problems? Let's talk about America's problems . . .

I have money on Wesley Clark as VP for either of them. That would totally take some wind out of McCain's sails.

Try to get sleep.... but you have to answer the phone at 3 a.m. Hillary!!

NAFTA, Columbian trade agreement, Bill, and the Mark Penn connection. To me that just seems like a giant double face that is happening real time, not in the past, and I haven't seen it discussed that much. I read that Penn has been with her for 9 years (pre-war, natch), and that he is CEO of a lobbying company that not only represented the Columbian trade agreement, but they also represented Haliburton and Blackwater. Her husband supposedly made $800,000 speaking on behalf of trade agreements in Columbia.

This seems like a giant contradiction in what she is telling people about her views on trade agreements. If her husband makes money from it, because they file taxes together as married people, she technically gets that money as well. I have gathered these "facts" from various new sources that I think are moderate to very credible, but I have yet to see one source discuss these as a whole. I wish I knew if these details were true.

Oh! I like that he wears flag pins when he feels like it, not as a default. I feel like it means more.

why is it going to why obama doesnt wear an american flag pin? it really isnt about wearing a flag pin, anyone can do that. but it really is about what he wants to do for this country and how he treats people. for fighting on keeping this country together and improving it.

why was there a rise in american flag pins and such after 9/11? wearing a flag to prove patriotism, that seems superficial to me. yeah, we are all in this country and yeah that was a really devastating event, but theres more we can do than wear a pin. note that the usage of such paraphernalia also decreased as time went by.

That's how I operate with my flag pin, Citizen.

Hillary's pastor said Wright was being mischaracterized? I remember reading that long ago, but I guess all the drama is easy to forget!

I know Huckabee, Colin Powell, and Condelezza Rice have all said similar things.
What will it take for us to stop talking about something that has no effect on policy?

exactly, jillness.

this debate really seems more like a debate about campaigns and not about why we should vote for them.

Very well said, poizen!

(I am a bit behind in case you didn't notice! Had to pause it for a few minutes.)

6 in 10 voters don't think she is honest! Yowza!!

But she "misspoke" 4 times! She acts irritated that she is questioned on it.

Did you guys on the West Coast see the part where Hillary compared Obama to Hitler? That was really uncalled for.

ohh not yet. the question about what to do about the war has just been posed.