Speaking of Foreign Policy Missteps

Maybe McCain misspoke, maybe he didn't. Either way, he's got a fall back position in those reports of Iran's ties to al Qaeda. Now I'd like to turn the spotlight to both Hillary and Obama, and turn the clock back to their sparring match in Cleveland. Russert asks Hillary about Putin's handpicked successor, Dmitry Medvedev. From the official transcript:
"Russert: Who will it be? Do you know his name?

Sen. Clinton: Medvedev -- whatever."

Whatever, Hillary? Obama then gets his bite at the apple, a long-winded reply that tries to blame Bush for everything. But Marc Ambinder, writing immediately after the fact, poses an interesting question:

Although Clinton had trouble pronouncing his name -- Medvevev, it was clear that she knew it, and that she was at least cursorily familiar with the details of the election and the challenge it poses for the U.S. As NBC News’s hounds noted, Obama appeared to defer to her. If you were watching closely, you might have wondered whether Obama had received a briefing recently on Russia, rather than a recitation of the case against George W. Bush’s relationship with Putin.

Too bad that one didn't go to Obama - and it suggests that if he secures the nomination, McCain & Co. would do well to hammer him on all things international.

A Thought on Last Night's Debate

I'll preface this post by saying that I didn't watch last night's debate. Why? Because a) they're pointless and b) I wasn't near a TV. Even so, a>b in terms of why.

The storyline going in was the anticipation surround Fred's debate debut. The storyline coming out was Romney and Giuliani going at it over taxes and spending.

Now I doubt that there was any collusion between the two campaigns, but I suspect that going in, advisers on both sides strongly suggested that the candidates go after the other. There'd been some low-level sparring on these issues previously, and there were three big benefits to taking it public:

1) Voters care.
2) It's something other than Iraq
3) It minimizes the Fred Thompson angle.

It worked, though it's not clear who came out on top.

Oh and while we're on the topic, one of the coverage gems I've found thus far comes from Chris Cilizza:

Fred Thompson KNOWS Andy Griffith

Fred Thompson is making sure voters know he is from the South.

After Huckabee unloosed one of his classic lines -- how America needs to approach energy security with the speech of a NASCAR pit crew rather than like the old family station wagon serviced by "Goober and Gomer" -- Thompson jumped in to say that he probably needed to explain to his friends on the stage who Goober and Gomer were.

See? Thompson knows "The Andy Griffith Show." Thompson is from the South. Thompson -- unlike Mike Huckabee -- can win the general election.

Case closed?