Emotional Clinton hints at defeat

Hillary Clinton had perhaps her worst and best moments of any campaign debate so far at last night's head-to-head with Barack Obama in Texas. The former first lady drew boos when in response to a question about her recent plagiarism allegations she attacked her rival for offering not "change you can believe in, but change you can Xerox." Yet minutes later, she finally succeeded in making the kind of emotional connection with the American people that has been missing from her campaign so far when she appeared to acknowledge she might lose the Democratic nomination.

Read the full story from our Tom Baldwin, our Washington bureau chief, here and watch the videos below:

Comments

[Godard]

Both of these people offer nothing. I am tired of hearing how hard Hillary's life has been. The girl has chosen to stand by her man for personal gain. Just listen to the question: name your defining moment. They both went into a diatribe of what they wanted to say: nothing to do with the question. Where do you think $4,000 a year for every college student is coming from? Raised taxes. The high income people pay 75% of the tax bill in this country. The people making below $50,000 pay only 10%.... so WHO is being over taxed? A single mom with 4 kids receives $1200 in food stamps PER MONTH. Who is paying for this? The taxpayers: the people who work to keep this country going. Democrat cry of tax releif for "working class" is old, tired and worn out. Tax releif is ONLY in the reduction of the bill: reduce the size of government, your taxes will go down. Who REALLY has solutions for this country. Who will demand personal responsibility from the American people? Who will decrease the size of government: not increase it to support those who are not willing to take personal responsibility for themselves and their family? Please step forward: We need you.

[dupree]

How much wind do we need to be blown up our orfices ?

[Bernard Tapp]

Do the Americans really want a president who weeps and gets emotional when the going gets tough?

[justus]

I like the campaign btu we are keenly watching a world democracy do it.

[mazza]

I had always been an admirer of Hillary as a women: she is a true image of what should be a women of our times - strong, smart and always there where not expected. However, I must say I was very desapointed to see her at such level of disgrace when she attacked Obama whether on questions his capacity to say things by him or his achievement. This is low and show that vicious character of the clinton's unfortunately. Politics should criticize their opponents but not be at that level of the dirty politic that is sticking - look at the charm, the charisma of him, not even willing to have that low level conversation, using his words "let's lift up America" I mean He is the American I want to identify with: elegant, eloquant, hard worker and living his dream and sharing to others so we can follow his example. I live in Europe and I can tell the image of America is a desaster: we are stupids, arrogant, dominant not respective of others and violating international laws whenever it feels like it. We go to war on our own because we think we are the best and our desaster not to say collapse in Iraq, has revealed we are nothing to be proud of...America with a Bush bonnie on top has ridiculized our identity in the world. By having someone like Obama, we are shifting to a new area, we are saying also to the world , we are now matured we have learned from our mistake - let unite America so we can reach the world - let 's us be one whether black, brown, white , regardless religion and gender...this is what Obama is bringing - bringing America where to its initial position lost in the last decade...After the mess we created around the world , let's clean now the mess at least internally by uniting ourselves so the world can see how we are ready - America is a great nation but at the pick of its unpopularity - add to that the economic desaster and the deficit of health care system, education , etc whilst we are spending above 12b a month for a war which has finally proven to be the wrong target!! Clinton is just hungry of power...she cannot be a chief commander, she is a lyer as well, last night at the debate she said she brings 35 years of experience! what??? With all generosity, she has only 15 years experience - which half of it was gained by the popularity of her husband and not her own achievement - talking about achievment she should seriously look back to the damages she caused with her definitely good idea of giving health care to everyone, but we all know the desaster she created, and her husband has even to recognize the failure in a debate and have her out immediately after...so Achievement - Honnestly I think Obama with the little he has, he made the world better to so many out there - with no money and support as the Clinton machinery, he is there making himself the most known American man right now in the world. Why are we also calling him African - American?? why he is not simply an american ??? why the need to label him and put him in a box? what is the notion of white - black still standing for? why can't we simply talk as an American and see in this man, a success story that will America to its standard. Can any journalist speak this voice...of some of us leaving far out there as an American??? God bless America

[Dr. Hubert Rampersad]

Barack Obama derserves to become the next president of the United States of America. Why? Because he is capable to change this country effectively. It's related to his dream, namely—Bring about real change, change that we believe in. Remember what he said: “America is a land of big dreamers and big hopes. It is this hope that has sustained us through revolution and civil war, depression and world war, a struggle for civil and social rights and the brink of nuclear crisis. And it is because our dreamers dreamed that we have emerged from each challenge more united, more prosperous, and more admired than before…….The true test of the American ideal is whether we’re able to recognize our failings and then rise together to meet the challenges of our time. Whether we allow ourselves to be shaped by events and history, or whether we act to shape them. Whether chance of birth or circumstance decides life’s big winners and losers, or whether we build a community where, at the very least, everyone has a chance to work hard, get ahead, and reach their dreams….Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek…. I don’t want to settle for anything less than real change, fundamental change - change we need - change that we can believe in. It’s change that I’ve been fighting for over two decades ago. Because those dreams - American dreams - are worth fighting for”.

Obama's dream is related to Martin Luther King, Jr’s dream– Free at last.

Obama was also inpired by Mahatma Gandhi’s dream- Achieving freedom and change through the path of non-violence.

Nelson Mandela’s dream was– A free and just society in South Africa. He made conscious choices based on what he truly stood for and got credit for his relentless commitment to his dream. Like Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr, Nelson Mandela is a man of peace who is fighting against oppression. His determination to pursue that dream with passion and love, to keep fighting despite intense torments to both his people and himself, carried him to a day in May 1994 when he became the president of all South Africans.

Mikhail Gorbachev’s dream was/is– A Post-Nuclear Age. Thisdream resulted in his concept of Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness) which was a distinct break with the authoritarian past of the Soviet Union. He said: “We, our generation, were not associated with the repression. Moreover, we ourselves were aware of the repression, and that left its mark on us, because ours was an educated generation, a generation that knew its own value, and was capable of thinking for itself. When we found ourselves active participants in life, in work, and in politics, then we began to see a great deal and see it clearly. Little by little there came the awareness that in this country, this society, this system, no matter how hard we tried, no matter how sincere our convictions were, very little good could be achieved. Therefore the system had to be changed’. This exactly what Obama wants to realize in the US.

[Greg Hines]

How come no one talks how Obama rudely interupted Hillary on that statement and provoked the 2 boos from the audience. I was there and most people were laughing at that statement and thought it was truthful and clever. Let's face it, the media is scared as hell that a woman can become President though she is the most experienced and intelligent of the two. Obama is unethical. Texas loves Hillary.

[Rodney Wayne]

Hillary Clinton is not trustworthy and bad for the US. Barack Obama is integer and good for the world.

Barack Obama’s dream is—Bring about real change, change that we believe in. His passion for change is the pillar of his Personal Brand. Parts of his speeches: “America is a land of big dreamers and big hopes. It is this hope that has sustained us through revolution and civil war, depression and world war, a struggle for civil and social rights and the brink of nuclear crisis. And it is because our dreamers dreamed that we have emerged from each challenge more united, more prosperous, and more admired than before…….The true test of the American ideal is whether we’re able to recognize our failings and then rise together to meet the challenges of our time. Whether we allow ourselves to be shaped by events and history, or whether we act to shape them. Whether chance of birth or circumstance decides life’s big winners and losers, or whether we build a community where, at the very least, everyone has a chance to work hard, get ahead, and reach their dreams….Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek…. I don’t want to settle for anything less than real change, fundamental change - change we need - change that we can believe in. It’s change that I’ve been fighting for over two decades ago. Because those dreams - American dreams - are worth fighting for”.

Like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, and Mikhail Gorbachev, Barack Obama is a man of peace and love who is fighting against oppression and political corruption. ......>>read further at http://rampersad.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/46/