Specificity

It kind of cracks me up to hear many Clinton supporters state that Obama has no substance when he talks and has not laid out any specific ideas or plans.

This makes me laugh, because, I've watched every Democratic debate, have heard many of the speeches by each candidate, and honestly? None of the three and now two, as Edwards has dropped out, has been very specific in regard to their ideas and plans if elected president. The most specific I've heard the three candidates get was in the South Carolina debate when they talked about their health care plans and to be perfectly honest, while Clinton and Edwards subtly attacked Obama as not having a universal plan as they supposedly do, Obama did specify his plan the most. There were still questions I had in regard to all three of the plans, but I do feel he was the most specific at the debate. Outside of those few minutes, however, I can't recall a point in any debate where any of the candidates were all too specific about what they were going to do if elected president. They were somewhat vague in what they planned to do with the Iraq War, all three stating they'd try to the best of their abilities to have the troops back home within the first year, but being careful not to guarantee anything. Edwards did guarantee that he'd have the troops home within a year, but wasn't specific on how he'd get that done and how he could balance ending the long-lasting war with protecting the country from the potential backlash. None of the three candidates were very specific in regard to immigration and Clinton waivered quite a bit when asked about allowing illegal immigrants to obtain drivers' licenses. I haven't heard the candidates talk about gun control, abortion, capital punishment. They all have very similar economic ideas, but not terribly specific. Again, Obama wasn't too specific, but was a tad more specific than Edwards or Clinton. None of the candidates have been too specific about global warming, foreign oil, or education. They've all been very vague in the debates in regard to these issues.

So, please, I'll be the first to admit that Barack Obama hasn't been very specific during his campaign. But, please, we can't isolate him as THE candidate lacking substance and specificity. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have lacked specificity in debates and if I had to pick one, I'd say that Obama has been a bit more specific than Clinton. This also is in regard to the attacks. While Obama has attempted to take time out to respond to attacks, such as his "present" votes, his comments regarding Ronald Reagan, and his Iraq War record, I've often times not heard those explanations from Senator Clinton. More times than not, I've heard her simply respond to an attack with an attack of her own.

The specifics will come out in full force pre-general election, but right now, candidates on both the Democratic and Republican sides are simply attempting to present their character, record, reputation, and personality to the public. They've all written rough drafts of potential plans in regard to education, the war, the economy, environment, etc., etc., etc., but we probably won't hear many final copies until the two nominees are selected. That's how it typically is most election years and how it is this time around as well.