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THE CANDIDATES' PERFORMANCES did not improve once the subject moved on to policy.

Clinton, at first, committed to withdrawing one or two brigades a month from Iraq upon taking office, no matter the realities on the ground. But then she said she would, upon taking office, ask her security advisers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Secretary of Defense to draw up plans to begin a pullout within 60 days. "I will make it very clear that we will do so in a responsible and careful manner because, obviously, withdrawing troops and equipment, is dangerous."

But what if her advisers tell her that withdrawing one or two brigades a month isn't responsible, would she override them?

"No one can predict what will happen," Clinton said. "There are many different scenarios."

But what if one of these unpredictable scenarios occurs? Will she still withdraw troops at the same pace? And who's on first?

Obama, meanwhile, gave a more coherent response to this question, that the president sets the mission, which the military commanders then follow. But when it came to Iran, the golden-tongued Obama sounded like Elmer Fudd.

When asked by Stephanopoulos whether America should treat an Iranian attack on Israel as an attack on the United States, Obama dodged the question with boilerplate about the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, before eventually arriving at, "that would be an act of aggression that we would -- that I would consider an attack that is unacceptable. And the United States would take appropriate action."

Yeah Barack, that ought to show them!

On domestic policy, both candidates tried to slither their way out of past anti-gun rights positions, and explain their myriad plans to raise taxes.

Asked why he would consider nearly doubling capital gains taxes even though historically revenue has gone up from lowering the rates, Obama got flustered.

"Well, that might happen, or it might not," Obama said. "It depends on what's happening on Wall Street and how business is going." He then went off on a tangent about President Bush and McCain being inattentive to the housing crisis.

Clinton also said she would consider raising the capital gains tax, only not by as much as Obama.

And then Obama, despite minutes earlier saying he wouldn't raise taxes on individuals earning less than $200,000, said he would consider raising the cap on payroll taxes, which would mean a tax hike for anybody earning more than $97,000.

It may very well be that with an unpopular incumbent president in office, a controversial war, and an uncertain economy, the deck is just too stacked against Republicans this election year for them to retake the White House. And McCain no doubt has his own weaknesses as a candidate. But the Democrats sure did look beatable Wednesday night.

Philip Klein is a reporter for the The American Spectator.

topics:
Taxes, John McCain, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Business, Abortion, Military, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Nuclear Weapons, Oil