FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2007

CONTACT:
Colleen Murray

NBC's Domenico Montanaro: “Edwards Came Back Stronger” Against Clinton on Iran. “But Edwards came back stronger, taking the liberal mantle. He said does any of this sound familiar. This was ‘literally in the language of the neo-cons.’ How is this Democrats standing up and saying no. That was impassioned and a strong response. Tries to show himself as the clear, sharp alternative. This is wedging going on. He might be elbowing Obama out of the way on this issue. His, albeit reasonable, but tepid answer on this, just wasn't grabbing the spotlight.” [http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/30/439181.aspx, “Iran - who stands out,” 10/30/07]

New York Times’ Katharine Q. Seelye: Edwards Is “Making His Case Very Clearly to the Jury.”  “John Edwards’ experience as a trial lawyer shows, making his case very clearly to the jury. He suggests that Mrs. Clinton voted for the Iran resolution because she was moving from primary mode to general election mode. ‘Our responsibility should be in tell-the-truth mode,’ he said. Mrs. Clinton calls this a semantic difference.” [http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/live-blogging-the-democratic-debate-3/ , “Tell-the-Truth Mode,” 10/30/07]

Politico’s Ben Smith: Edwards Made the “Sharpest” Argument of the Evening on Iran.  Regarding the first half of the debate, Ben Smith wrote, “Edwards closed with his best argument, and the sharpest of the evening so far: If President Bush invades Iran in six months, ‘Are we going to hear, 'If only I’d known then what I know now ...’” [http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1007/Semantics.html, “Semantics,” 10/30/07]

Marc Ambinder: “Edwards, so far, Has Made the Clearest Contrasts.” 9:20: “Edwards, so far, has made the clearest contrasts, but Obama has his paintbrush out too.” [http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/the_story_so_far_the_entire_fi.php, 10/30/07]

NBC's Chuck Todd: “Connected the Dots That Some Thought Obama Would Connect re: the Iran Issue. Early on, He's a Better Job of Drawing Distinctions with Clinton than Obama.” “Edwards just connected the dots that some thought Obama would connect re: the Iran issue. Early on, he's doing a better job of drawing distinctions with Clinton than Obama. Dropping ‘neo-con’ a few times in his response on Iran was a smart way to alert Democrats of his opposition. For the true activists, ‘neo con’ is a four-letter, um, phrase.”[http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/30/439182.aspx, “Edwards Puts Clinton On Side Of The ‘Neo-Cons’,” 10/30/07]

        Marc Ambinder: “This Column Agrees With Chuck Todd.”          [http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/this_column_agrees_with_chuck.php, 10/30/07]

Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza: “Edwards Shines Against Clinton.”  “So far in the debate, Obama has been one-upped by Edwards when it comes to challenging Clinton directly but that doesn't mean the Illinois Senator hasn't scored points of his own.”  [http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/10/edwards_shines_against_clinton.html, “Edwards Shines Against Clinton, Obama Scores on His Background ,” 10/30/2007]

ABC’s Rick Klein: “Another Good Edwards Line: ‘If People Want the Status Quo, Than They Want Sen. Clinton.’” [http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/10/live-blogging-2.html, 9:50pm, 10/30/07]

Marc Ambinder: “Edwards Gets In A Good Line On Lieberman-Kyl.” “So… to put pressure on the Bush Administration is ... to vote yes on a resolution that [looked as if it] was written by the neocons? Has anyone read this thing?” [http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/edwards_gets_in_a_good_line_on.php, 10/30/07]

The Hotline’s “On Call” Asked, “Edwards, The real Rocky?;” Said Edwards Was “Well Prepared.” “Seeking to draw attention away from the teased Obama/Clinton showdown, a well prepared and dogged Edwards says that Clinton refuses to impose a timetable on troop withdrawal in Iraq. He, on the other hand, will get combat troops out of Iraq by the end of his first year in office. There is, he said, ‘a clear difference’ between his position and Hillary's.” [http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/10/edwards_the_rea.html, “Edwards, The real Rocky?” “10/30/07]

NBC's Chuck Todd: “The Spin Tonight May Be, Obama Backed Down a Tad, While Edwards Decided to Fill the Vacuum.” “Edwards seems to be the one looking the opportunities to hit Clinton hard. Obama's hitting her, but not like Edwards. If the NYT interview hadn't happened this weekend with Obama, the spin on this first 40 minutes would be: Edwards stepping up his attempts to create a contrast with Clinton while Obama sits back hoping he benefits from the negative fallout. But because of the hype of the NYT interview, the spin tonight may be, Obama backed down a tad, while Edwards decided to fill the vacuum.” [http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/30/439269.aspx, “It's Edwards v. Clinton... Again?” 10/30/07]

TAPPED’s Dana Goldstein: “‘Obama on the Attack’ Meme Was All Hype. Edwards, on the Other Hand Is… Talking About the ‘Clear Choice’ between the Candidates.” “So far, it's looking like the ‘Obama on the attack’ meme was all hype. Edwards, on the other hand, is doing what he's done in all these events, talking about the ‘clear choice’ between the candidates. He promises to end all combat operations in Iraq, and Clinton responds that she supports only a ‘very limited mission’ of Special Operations forces to ‘engage’ Al Qaeda in Iraq. She also wants American troops to continue to train Iraqi police. Edwards is really kicking, quoting the New York Times explaining Hillary's Kyl-Lieberman vote as a shift from primary to ‘general election mode.’ He says, ‘Our responsibility as presidential candidates is to be in 'tell the truth mode' all the time. We should not be saying something different in the primary than in the general election.’” [http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=10&year=2007&base_name=what_about_iraqb#030875, 10/30/07]

TAPPED’s Garance Franke-Ruta: Edwards “Takes More Effective, or at Least Cleanly Articulated” Contrast with Clinton. “Brian Williams wastes no time getting down to business, asking Barack Obama about his recent criticisms of Hillary Clinton. Obama responds nervously, with some sports story that neither I nor Dana got (go women's vote!) and making a stream of accusations against Clinton, including a slightly confused story about her Iraq war vote, when it sounded like he meant her Iran war vote. Clinton responds clearly and cleanly. John Edwards takes a more effective, or at least cleanly articulated, swipe next.” [http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=10&year=2007&base_name=opening_salvos#030870, 10/30/07]

NBC's Domenico Montanaro: “Edwards Is More Sharper, Clearer on” Differences with Clinton; Edwards “Has Been the One to Capitalize on” Questions in the Debate. “Maybe it's not in his personality. Maybe it's about 2012 or 2016. Maybe it's Iowa Nice. But Obama just doesn't seem like he either can or wants to be direct on Clinton instead of continuing to talk about himself. Edwards is more sharper, clearer on these differences. It's interesting, but Edwards' campaign points out all of the things he has been first on, but others have gotten the attention for. Seems to me tonight, that Obama -- by virtue of answering the question first perhaps -- has brought something up first, but Edwards has been the one to capitalize on it.” [http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/30/439255.aspx, “Obama's lack of directness,”10/30/07]

TAPPED’s Dana Goldstein: “Edwards Is Quite Right Here to Revise His ‘Two Americas’ Line In Describing Our Education System.”  “Hillary and Edwards both give a plug to early childhood education, while Edwards is quite right here to revise his ‘two Americas’ line in describing our education system, one for the affluent, and one for the poor.” [http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=10&year=2007&base_name=the_education_debate#030885, “The Education Debate,” 10/30/07]

TAPPED’s Garance Franke-Ruta: “Edwards Makes a Nice -- and Original -- Point Tying Outsourcing of American Jobs to the Influx of Poison Chinese Toys. I Haven't Heard That Argument Before.”  [http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=10&year=2007&base_name=outsourcing_the_toys#030883, “Outsourcing the Toys,” 10/30/07]

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