…And this is why I hate presidential debates.
Barack Obama says we should change current policy and be willing to meet with the leaders of rogue nations without strict “preconditions.” Hillary Clinton says strict preconditions are important when arranging diplomatic engagements as they prevent rogue nations from using meetings with the US President for “propaganda purposes.”
And yet this slight juxtaposition in foreign policy priorities doesn’t enter the blogo-punditsphere via a sober discussion on whose view may be right on the merits, but rather through a whole load of nerdy and useless political gossip over whether or not Obama made a “gaffe.”
All this brouhaha when both Clinton and Obama’s debate-time comments actually don’t really contradict each other—if anything, each answer represents a difference in emphasis; Obama would like to emphasize a drastic change in America’s approach to foreign policy and diplomacy, while Clinton looks to emphasize her experience on the nitty-gritty details of diplomatic engagements.
We should recognize that, as he himself says, Barack Obama’s not going to be inviting Hugo Chavez to the White House for tea and crumpets bright and early Wednesday January 21st, 2009. At the same time, Hillary Clinton, given the benefit of the doubt (not that I think she really deserves it), probably won’t abide by the same stifling “preconditions” as the current administration (ie we’ll only talk to you if and when you do everything we tell you to.)
There’s so much emphasis on “winning” in these things and yet winning has nothing to do with giving the most compelling arguments in support of your ideas, it’s all about “saying what you’re supposed to say” as part and parcel of a pre-scripted horse race. The first slight indication of a difference in policy thus becomes a matter of who made a “gaffe” and who didn’t, who “knocked one out of the park” and who didn’t, who manipulated the narrative well and who didn’t.
We go from substantive discussion on policy and judgement into an endless and obnoxious series of “gotchas” and gaffes, flubs and “slams.”
If this is politics, well then I freaking hate politics.