Democratic Debate -- October 13, 2015 The debate among Democrat contenders for the presidency was a far more courteous and respectful performance than was presented earlier by the Republicans, and as most objective pundits pointed out, the debate showed clearly that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is a more experienced debater than her opponents, and notwithstanding questions about her changing stances on some issues, she remained unflappable.

The October 13 debate in Las Vegas featured three of Clinton's opponents (Martin O'Malley, Lincoln Chafee, and Jim Webb), politely attempting to put Clinton on the defensive. But when they brought up her vote to support George W. Bush's war against Iraq, Clinton showed her experience and calmly turned the tables on the three.

"I recall very well being on a debate stage, I think, about 25 times with then Senator Obama, debating this very issue," Clinton responded. "After the election he asked me to become his secretary of state. He valued my judgment, and I spent a lot of time with him in the Situation Room ... " (Diamond, 2015). In other words, to criticize her for her vote in support of the Iraq war is to ignore the fact that Obama chose her to be his point person...

Senator Bernie Sanders showed viewers why he has attracted the support of many voters -- in particular youthful voters -- by offering passionate views on issues like income inequality, Wall Street's excesses, and criminal justice reform. But when he was asked by debate moderator Anderson Cooper how he could serve as president as a "democratic socialist," he wasn't very convincing. Anderson hammered on that word "socialist," and while Sanders is obviously highly intelligent and quick on his feet, his explanation seemed more like a rationalization than a believable point.
And Sanders probably had the most serious stumble when he was pressed as to why he voted against the Brady bill (which restricted gun sales) several times. In fact Sanders doesn't have a good record on voting for more gun regulation which Clinton effectively brought to the audience's attention. She boldly challenged his record and he noticeably backed off.

As for Jim Webb, who today (October 20), dropped out of the primary race, he will probably be remembered most for whining that he didn't get asked enough questions. He was very weak. When asked to name the…