Ganging Up

"Imagine if Obama had directed his soaring rhetoric and youthful energy at the GOP. It would have a.) played to the partisan mood among Democrats, b.) actually been pretty hopeful and forward-looking, because once he got done indicting the other guys he could easily have pivoted to what he would do differently, and c.) actually showcased the contrasts between him and Hillary pretty effectively, since her critique of Bush is more pedestrian and small-bore than his."

The New Republic has still more advice, from Michael Crowley:

"I think the problem here may be that Obama remains reluctant to really go after Hillary's character--to portray her as unethical and dishonest on some fundamental level. So he is taking what could be an attack on sneaky Clintonian phoniness and trying to weave it into his larger critique of 'conventional thinking' in Washington. But in this case I just don't think it fits."

Newsweek's Howard Fineman practically put his pre-debate advice in memo form:

"Attack more in sorrow than in anger, with respect for the Clintons' service -- even while saying that this gracefully aging husband-and-wife baby-boomers team is past its prime. At the start of the debate, Obama should say that his comments about Hillary are made out of honest disagreement, not any personal animus . . .

"Argue that Clinton is too polarizing, that she cannot win a general election and that, even if she could, she could not govern effectively in the White House because she simply -- perhaps through no fault of her own -- is too divisive. In one recent poll, fully 50 percent of voters said that they would never vote for her."

The prescription from Arianna Huffington is reminiscent of what a producer said in Michael Kinsley's ear the first time he co-hosted "Crossfire": " Get mad!"

"If Obama's not willing to fight for the nomination, what chance will he have in the general election, when things really get tough?

"Be careful asking him that, though. According to the New York Times, 'he glared and responded no when asked if he lacked the stomach for confrontational politics.'

"It would be nice if he showed that same anger at the current political conditions -- and those responsible for them -- that presumably led him to run for president in the first place.

"While Obama's newly professed assertiveness is welcome, it remains to be seen if he really intends to follow through. Just last week, Obama sent out a mailing that was more passive than aggressive. After noting that he was the only candidate to oppose the war from the beginning, it adds, 'while others went along, Obama opposed Bush's war plans.'

"Others? Gee, who could that be? We know who your opponent is, Senator Obama. You're running against Hillary Clinton. It's okay to say her name. The Republican candidates certainly seem to have no problem saying it. Again and again and again. And the reason is because they think she's going to be the nominee. And the reason they think that is because even as late as October 23rd, the Obama campaign seemed reluctant to take Clinton on directly."