Trailhead

On Free Statements

Each candidate gets 30 seconds for a “free statement.” It’s like six sound-bite-filled stump speeches mixed throughout the debate. You might as well be flushing time down the toilet. Richardson even manages to stick his foot in his mouth:

“I’m going to use my 30 seconds to thank people of Iowa for putting us through this good process.”

“Putting us through”? “Good” catch there, Bill.

UPDATE 2:47 p.m.: Hillary manages to work a mini-dis into her statement: “Some people believe you can get change by demanding it. Some believe you can get change by hoping for it.”

In a hands-off debate like this, that’s a body slam.