A drubbing, not a debate

Re “Debate dwells on Obama’s past,” April 17

Once again, it appears that the news media control the debate. For at least 50 minutes, both Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton were quizzed on some of their silly misstatements that have already been analyzed ad nauseam. Finally, I thought, we’d get a chance to hear their views on the issues most of us care about. Wrong again -- but this time I don’t think we can blame the candidates. They had to go to war with the questions they were given.

Barbara Gary

Los Angeles

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This debate was the worst so far. It was Obama debating not only Clinton but the two moderators as well, who unabashedly asked the same questions we’ve heard over and over, with Clinton pounding Obama while professing the questions came “from others.”

The obvious bias of the ABC moderators was made clear, should anyone doubt it, when they raised the business of professor William Ayers, formerly of the Weather Underground. The whole thing smacked of old-fashioned Red-baiting that I thought responsible journalism had disavowed some time back.

This was not a contribution to a discussion of the issues, which the nation has been requesting. Clinton’s “gotcha” piling on is being rejected by the voters. It was disgusting, not helpful and only further indicated how desperate Clinton is to win at any cost.

David Curland

Santa Barbara