A day after their contentious Pennsylvania debate, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both appeared on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.

Host Stephen Colbert remarked that former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards - who dropped out of the race before Super Tuesday - won the debate.

In any event, Obama’s addition to Colbert’s famed “On Notice” board, where he calls out various people and inanimate objects that have drawn his ire, got us thinking of all the stuff we’d like to put on notice lately.

Thanks to this terrific On Notice board generator, we were able to!

1. The McCain Girls were outed as a hoax. Which is funny, but also sad, as we were hoping they really were that unfunny.
2. Forget rural Pennsylvania voters clinging to guns or religion… how effing annoying is it when your socks stick to the rest of your clothes when you take them out of the dryer?
3. Ah, bad credit home loans. Two years ago, a gateway to homeownership, now the scourge of the financial world. Way to get greedy and screw over the whole country, Florida mortgage brokers.
4. The 27 million (to date) Democratic primary voters only represent 3,253 of the 4,049 delegates to the convention. The 796 “superdelegates” are thus 33,913 times more important than you. Let’s hear it for democracy!
5. Not only were George Stephanopoulos’ debate questions dreadful, but his name is so hard to spell, it costs us valuable blogging time daily.
6. As liberals, the obligatory remarks about Ralph Nader costing Al Gore the White House in 2000 will surface from time to time. Deal.
7. Really, Cindy McCain? The Food Network? You don’t have friends you can steal recipes from like everyone else?
8. Forget the ’60s radical group… the ’00s iteration of Weather Underground never gets its forecasts right more than 24 hours in advance.

Now that Donkey Dish has whet your appetite for political punditry, check out what other media sources (mainstream and otherwise) had to say about last night’s debacle debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia…

• What about us? The Philadelphia Daily News‘ irate Will Bunch penned an open letter to Charlie Gibson and George Stephanapoulos, lambasting their inane “issue” questions and trivial wastes of valuable time.

• According to Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic, it was a lifeless, drained and dreary Obama turning in his worst performance yet. Yes, he’s up against the Clinton wood-chipper, but he wilted painfully.

• The Politico’s Ben Smith has two critical points: 1. Didn’t those quotes from the Constitution really set the tone? 2. How much money will Obama raise off supporters’ perception that this debate was unfair? [NOTE: No fewer than three emails from the Barack Obama campaign have been received by one of our contributors in the past 12 hours].

Hillary Clinton shields her eyes. Last night’s debate made us wince, as well.

• Joe Sudbay of the Americablog says it was, quite simply, the worst. Debate. Ever. The level of discourse has reached a new low - a very new low. Obama did fine, but it was a disaster for our political system.

• Was this debate Barack Obama’s Waterloo? Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey feels Obama was exposed as an empty suit, while Hillary cleaned his clock, and the real winner, John McCain, didn’t even have to show up.

• If either candidate hoped to score a clear victory, writes Peter Canellos of the Boston Globe, those hopes evaporated as ABC’s harsh questions on their personal “gaffes” and connections threw them both off.

• There are only two ways Clinton can win, Stephen Spruiell of the National Review reminds us - overcome Barack Obama’s lead in pledged delegates, or win the votes of the superdelegates. Both are extremely unlikely.

Wow. We will excerpt some mainstream and non-mainstream media reactions to Wednesday night’s Democratic debate shortly, but now, our staff has a few of its own questions and observations regarding the latest Clinton-Obama clash …

• Wait, Hillary, what’s your website again?

• What the hell did George Stephanopoulos do beforehand to end up sitting in such a dark corner? It was like he was being punished by ABC.

• If the over-under on the number of hours Barack Obama sleeps a night was four, would you take the over? Guy needs a cup of coffee …

• It ended way past his bedtime, but don’t you think John McCain would have loved some of the questions posed to the Democrats?

• Why was neither candidate asked about the Rocky YouTube video?

• Would anyone care if the woman who raised the American flag pin question was beaten down by security? What are Obama’s thoughts on the flag? Not even patriotism in general? Are they trying to waste time?

• What, exactly, are all the questions associating Barack Obama with Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers even getting at? Obama wants to blow up buildings? We get Jeremiah Wright, but even that’s played out.

• On a similar note, that was a great Louis Farrakhan mention last night - but if you’re gonna go down that road, why stop there? Why not call Obama by his middle name throughout the debate, too?”

• How ironic was the “electable” question? Hillary is forced to say Barack is, indeed, capable of winning in November, yet facing an insurmountable deficit, her only justification for staying in the race is convincing superdelegates that he’s not, and to jump ship. Awesome.

• When Hillary rambled her way through the Bosnia explanation, stating she needed to get more sleep in the future in order to avoid such missteps, didn’t you want Obama to jump in with: “That could be difficult, Hillary, with the phone constantly ringing at 3 a.m. and everything.”

• If those lame quotes that ended every commercial break don’t get you energized about the political process, gosh, what will?

Sen. Barack Obama still trails Sen. Hillary Clinton in polls leading up to Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary, although her lead in the Keystone State does not appear to have budged since “Bitter-Gate” became a huge media story.

A composite average of seven polls, all taken in Pennsylvania between April 8 and today, gives Hillary a small, but significant edge of 6.7 percent.

Throw out the two outliers - Obama leads by 3 percent in one poll, Clinton by 14 in another - and the other seven all show 4-9 percent Clinton leads.

At the same time his Pennsylvania prospects appear increasingly slim with time running out, Obama appears to be widening his advantage over Clinton in national polls involving the two Democratic presidential candidates.

An ABC News/Washington Post survey shows a 10 percent advantage for Barack Obama, 51-41. A new Reuters/Zogby survey shows a similar 51-38 edge.

In fact, the smallest lead Obama has over Clinton in national surveys since April 10 is seven percent (48-41), as seen in a Rasmussen tracking poll.

At the same time, both Clinton and Obama continue to poll more or less even with Republican Sen. John McCain in national surveys, either leading or trailing slightly, but within the margin of error on many occasions.

Tonight, the Democrats square off in a Philadelphia debate - the first head-to-head clash in nearly two months, and one that will likely draw the largest audience of the political season to date, given heightened stakes and recent controversy.

Neither candidate was in the Philadelphia area yesterday, but the spouses were, with former President Bill Clinton campaigning in Coatesville, Phoenixville and Quakertown, and Michelle Obama speaking at Haverford College.

de·nounce
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English
Definition: To pronounce, especially publicly, to be blameworthy or evil

re·ject
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English
Definition: To refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use

During last night’s debate, Hillary Clinton tried to score points by claiming that “denouncing” anti-Semitism isn’t as good as “rejecting” it, while Barack Obama responded that he both rejects and denounces it …

At issue: Obama’s endorsement from Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan, the controversial Chicago-based minister who has made numerous anti-Semitic comments in the past.

Barack Obama said he didn’t seek Farrakhan’s support and denounced his views. Clinton interjected that in her initial Senate campaign in New York in 2000, she rejected an endorsement by an anti-Semitic group.

His relaxed, straightforward reply was priceless.

There have been 20 debates now, and it’s starting to feel it. We have heard the respective political views and observed the nuanced styles of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama time and time again.

In a fairly predictable 90-minute clash, the surging Obama was content to sit back, counterattack and score field goals here and there, rather than go for a touchdown and risk backlash.

For her part, Clinton articulated her major positions well, but tried to highlight the differences with her rival, reaching at times to do so and showing some signs of bitterness in the process.

In short, it was a low-scoring contest and a virtual draw.

Last night’s debate Cleveland State University didn’t alter the complexion of the Democratic race, but it was educational as always and included its fair share of entertainment and fireworks.

The Democrats sparred over negative campaigning, health care, NAFTA and much more a week before the key Texas and Ohio primaries.

Clinton repeated angry claims that Obama mischaracterized her stances on health care and NAFTA in political mailings to voters in Ohio.

“I have a great deal of respect for Sen. Obama, but we have differences,” she said. “In the last several days, some of those differences in tactics and choices that Sen. Obama’s campaign has made in fliers and mailers and other information that has been put out … have been very disturbing.”

The mailers, which Obama defends, claim that Hillary Clinton’s health care plan would force people who don’t want insurance to buy it.

Continue reading this article …

From a woman who can’t even figure out her own campaign message, Sen. Hillary Clinton’s pointed charges against Sen. Barack Obama rang hollow last night during their 90-minute debate in Austin, Texas.

“I do think that words are important and words matter,” Clinton said. “But actions speak louder than words.”

“I think you can tell from the first 45 minutes that Sen. Obama and I have a lot in common,” she said later, but noted “There are differences between our records and our accomplishments.”

Finally, in reference to Obama’s recent borrowing from the “just words” speech of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick - his friend and campaign co-chairman - on the stump, without crediting him, she remarked:

“I think if your candidacy is going to be about words, then words should be your own,” Clinton, who has lost 10 straight races, said, “It’s not change you can believe in, it’s change you can Xerox.”

Obama responded that these criticisms are based on the implication that somehow millions of Americans, elected officials, and media outlets who have endorsed him across the U.S. have been duped in doing so.

“Sen. Clinton of late has said ‘let’s get real,’” he said, jabbing at her latest campaign tagline. “The implication is that the people who have been voting for me or involved in my campaign are somehow delusional.”

The Illinois senator’s supporters perceive the reality of what’s going on in the world very clearly, want to see that change, and require his ability to inspire, unite and bring about that change:

“What they see is if we don’t bring the country together, stop the endless bickering, actually focus on solutions and reduce the special interests that have dominated Washington, then we will not get anything done.”

We wouldn’t go so far as to say Sen. Clinton’s campaign as empty, but we do know that while he may be newer to the national stage, we have a much better idea of what Barack Obama brings to the table.

Continue reading this article …

Focused largely on policy differences and explanations, last night’s debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was a civil, even friendly conversation - far different than in South Carolina January 21.

But there were some good barbs exchanged.

Perhaps the most protracted issue among two candidates who feel similarly about many issues, but are running ideological campaigns (experience vs. change) against the other, was the Iraq war.

In the clip below, Hillary Clinton tries to explain her vote to authorize military force in Iraq, while Obama emphasizes that despite his age, his judgment was correct from the beginning on this issue…

This exchange followed a longer discussion of Iraq war between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Follow the jump to see it …

Continue reading this article …

Now that’s a tough sell.

Buy it or not, the former First Lady had the line of the night when asked how she can possibly be calling herself an agent of change when we have had the same two families in the White House for, oh, 20 years …

“It did take a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and I think it might just take another one to clean up after the second Bush!”

As avid fans of The West Wing, we already consider actor Bradley Whitford and his character, Democratic White House staff member Josh Lyman (and later campaign manager), to be the same person.

Frequent camera shots of Brad at last night’s debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama merely reinforced that perception.

Call us crazy, but this guy looks like Chief of Staff potential for whoever wins the race for the White House. He must have learned something from getting Jed Bartlet and Matt Santos elected, right?