Stunning developments at Dem debate in SC--
John Edwards comes out of the closet
The ProConPundit endorses Obama
Clinton & Biden win !!

I watched with great excitement the first debate of the 2008 Presidential season among Democrats which took place at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg on Thursday, April 26. The most painful eight seconds (I counted) were when a dumbfounded, then ashamed, then embarrassed, then finally apologetic John Edwards admitted that he was gay. All right, he didn’t come out of the closet as a homosexual, he came out as a Christian. Edwards was asked who his role model was then he went excruciatingly silent for eight seconds and started to say that he didn’t really have a role model but then added, painfully, "I have my Lord who I talk to every day." At first I wasn’t sure if he was referring to Jesus or someone in England. Had a North Carolinian been hesitant to publicly proclaim homosexuality, I would get it. But shame and embarrassment over your Lord? Seriously, I don’t think Edwards is as ashamed of his God as he is afraid of his secularist left wing. This underscores one of the biggest problems the Democratic party has–the far left grip that results in a disconnect from ordinary people. Edwards joins John Kerry and Howard Dean as Democrats who clumsily deal with the issue of faith. Joe Lieberman is the only major Democrat in recent memory to be able to openly and comfortable speak of their religious faith. The issue is authenticity and integrity. If your religious faith is important, say so. If its not, that’s okay, too. Incidentally, Edwards could have said his wife and saved himself the dilemma. On the other hand, he is a trial lawyer and may truly not have a moral leader.

The ProConPundit is now issuing an endorsement of Barack Obama. My endorsement is based on his answer to what he would do, as President, in the event of another 911 type attack. He went on about checking on first responders, etc. Barack Obama, at that moment, stepped out of the pack and clearly showed himself to be the best candidate to be mayor of a medium to large size city. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews believed Obama was "clearly the most sophisticated" of the candidates. I think that sounds like calling him "fresh" or "clean." The ProConPundit disagreed. I think Obama is a great motivational speaker but I find him very light on the depth and real knowledge a President should have.

It causes the ProConPundit great angst to admit it, but I honestly believe that Hillary Clinton was one of two debate winners. She’s not a great public speaker and I really don’t like her–so I have no reason to want to find victory for her. Her grasp of the issues and ability to contain her responses to the amount of time allowed set her apart, for the most part. The other winner in my book was Joe Biden. I thought he, too, stood apart as one with real knowledge and pragmatic plans. The ProConPundit has been a longtime fan of Biden and thinks he would be a good President. His plan for Iraq, which is neither stay the course nor cut and run, is the only sensible plan on the table. He probably doesn’t stand a chance. Democrats tend to not nominate people based on whether they could be good presidents. Instead, they tend to nominate people they think can win and are right half the time.

Of the others on the stage, Chris Dodd of Connecticut gave the wrong answer when asked what his biggest mistake was over the past four years. He should have said turning his back on his former longtime friend and fellow CT senator, Joe Lieberman. Dodd is a pompous blow hard and the embodiment of senatorial speak.

The ProConPundit has had high hopes for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson but he got off to a bad start Thursday night. He seemed irritable, unable to hear the questions and caffeine deficient. Congressman Dennis Kucinich is back again and doesn’t seem crazy this time around. His presence in the race is a plus. He is knowledgeable and candid and sincere. He seems a tad prophetic at times and will hopefully force the others to be more honest. The role of Al Sharpton this time around will be played by former Sen,. Mike Gravel, of Alaska who seems more class clown than prophet. Like Sharpton, Gravel’s got a way with words and a flair for the dramatic.

This NBC/MSNBC sponsored debate took place at South Carolina State University. According to its website, http://www.scsu.edu/, SCSU was "founded in 1896 as the state's sole public college for black youth." Its disappointing that after all the brouhaha about Imus’ remarks on MSNBC that, in crafting the questions for this debate on such an historical black campus, that there was not one question about race relations or issues of concern in the black community such as rap music, teen pregnancy, inner city schools, etc.