Governor Bill Richardson did a lot of waffling around on the nature of homosexuality last night describing it as a “lifestyle” and choice much to the dismay of those in attendance.

Sorry I was away from the computer for awhile (I know I am as surprised as you are) so I am sorry I didn’t have anything up about this.

When you think about it the fact that an entire debate has been devoted to gay issues is an amazing contrast to the 2004 election. In 2004 the Republicans made ending gay marriage a central theme of their campaign, meanwhile Kerry & Edwards seemed all but too happy to run as far away from the issue as possible.

Not all the dems are there, Joe Biden & Chris Dodd are missing, not all democrats agree such an embrace is a good idea. With that said it is brand new and sure to be exciting.

This just in from tonight:

Kiara Ashanti a freelance writer and Republican blogger asked Senator Hillary Clinton “why she was ’still insisting’ on bringing British- and Canada-style ’socialized medicine’ to the United States, asserting that such forms of universal care would hurt the black community.

According to the NY Times

“Oh man, I can’t answer that in 30 seconds, that was a string of misrepresentations,” Mrs. Clinton, a Democratic presidential candidate, told the gathering of more than 1,000 black reporters, editors, and other journalists.

“I have never advocated socialized medicine, and I hope all the journalists hear that,” she said. “That has been a right-wing attack on me for 15 years.”

Mr. Ashanti interrupted her with persistent criticism of government-run health care; Mrs. Clinton challenged him at one, asking if he thought Medicare was socialized medicine, and he indicated that he did.

“You are in a small minority of America, because Medicare has literally saved the lives and saved the resources of countless generations of Americans,” she said.

That is, she added, “if you’re interested in being educated instead of being rhetorical.”

It was a snap! moment that garnered Mrs. Clinton her biggest applause and cheers of the 40-minute forum.

Sounds like a lot of fun!

A year ago discussions of the Bush administration contemplating the use of nuclear weapons in Iran filled the newspapers. Senator Hillary Clinton said the following when asked for her take:

“I have said publicly no option should be off the table, but I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table,” Clinton said. “This administration has been very willing to talk about using nuclear weapons in a way we haven’t seen since the dawn of a nuclear age. I think that’s a terrible mistake.”

Clinton publically scorned Sen. Barack Obama for saying “There’s been no discussion of nuclear weapons. That’s not on the table,” when asked if he would use nuclear weapons to fight al Qaeda in Pakistan & Afghanistan.

Clinton’s spokeperson drew a difference between the remarks:

“She was asked to respond to specific reports that the Bush-Cheney administration was actively considering nuclear strikes on Iran even as it refused to engage diplomatically,” he said. “She wasn’t talking about a broad hypothetical nor was she speaking as a presidential candidate. Given the saber-rattling that was coming from the Bush White House at the time, it was totally appropriate and necessary to respond to that report and call it the wrong policy.”

My personal take? I think its time for the candidates to heed the advice of the State Department and keep specific military plans to themselves. Clinton continues to say the campaigns should not engage in hypotheticals. Well, good, don’t engage in them and we won’t keep running into problems.

The democrats think they are going to have an easy time this election season but the republicans are ready to hit them on two specific fronts. Defense & Taxes and so far the democrats are giving them a lot of ammunition.

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