Listening to some commentators on MSNBC's debate night and other places reminds of why Barack Obama is President. Many were surprised by his 08' victories. It also recalls how the D's lost in 10'. Ed in particular was a bit over the top, again. Fine, Ed has done good recently so he and others who mean well, get a pass. Indeed they made some good points about the moment. But a debate is not an election.
So let us look at the complaints. 'Why didn't he bring up the 47% comment and the war on woman? Why din't he take it to Romney?' Answer, because its a four act play. Mr. Romney is slippery with the facts and was looking to get rowdy play to the audience and make a big scene.
Not only that, President Obama instinctively knew, he had to let this fellow 'talk his talk.' He earned that right by winning the R nomination. He had a right to take it to the president and shine for his people.
It was very smart not to bring up any potent arguments the 47%, Women rights, Voter suppression, foreign policy inexperience... that have given The President's campaign and the D's a real edge in the battle ground states. Thus they still stand!
If he had did it The Ed's way ' to roll in the mud, get into brawl', the challenger would have said anything to defend the defenselessness of the many positions. And with the weakness of the moderator and some in the pundit class easily gotten away with it.
There is a reason smart pundits like Joy-Ann Reid, Larry O'Donnel and Al Sharpton saw 'a rope a dope.' Chris Hayes said 'Obama maintains his likability.'
By letting Romney jump up, double down and make ugly comparisons like the one about 'his lying sons' The president wisely let the challenger 'get the vitriol off your chest.' While at the same time deftly pointing out the challenger's main new argument 'Never mind what I said before.'
Now he has set up Joe Biden to take Paul Ryan to school. And he has left a lot of room for OFA to continue to pound the issues that work and hit the new issues of political character. How do you debate a man driven to say and seize on anything to win, a news cycle, let alone an election. - just like Scot Brown, Tod Akin, and other R and Con candidates.
There is line from the poem Excelsior 'This was the peasants last good night.'
Next week Joe Biden will not be so constrained, by 'tradition', with Paul Ryan who will probably be made to pay 'big time' for Mr. Romney's tactical over reach and strategic blunders. He left all of the big issues and charges on the table.
Finally Mr. Romney has won a news cycle. Great. Now the troops of good government, health, labor, education, social security, women's health and freedom, minority rights, fair immigration, Green Science and others down the line will be fired up. Complacency was setting in. Now, it is over.
Mr. Obama said, "We are the ones we have been waiting for." - not he. Only a reckless commander gets ahead of his army. Last night Mr. Romney got way ahead of his, on almost every issue. - The R's and cons will be going nuts. - He showed the world he has played them for 'the fooled'. The smart ones are furious.
The incumbent took the predictable, thrashing and whining from Mr. Romney, like a man. Unlike Mr. Romney he knows, The President is not a king or a brash rich and all powerful CEO, snowing and dictating to a compliant board of directors. Criticism is part of the democratic process.
To the trained eye the incumbent showed a confidence in his team and a warm knowledge of the good sense and clear eyes of the American people.
Mr. Romney was brilliant in putting Barrack Obama in his place, - President Of The United States of America.
* Ed. Note tweaked a bit and re posted