ABC debate blows because the moderators suck.

The Democratic debate last night in Pennsylvania was a disaster. Not for the candidates (although both could have done much better), but for ABC and the hosts Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos. There's no other way to describe it ... they are tools.

It looks like George got at least one question from Sean Hannity and Gibson has a pattern of looking foolish on money matters affecting average Americans.

Here's a synopsis of several blogs at Americablog.com:

Wow, major loathing of ABC on the Web tonight ...

• TPM: Looking around other sites, I guess I'm not the only one that thought this debate was unmitigated travesty. Maybe the embargo on debate rebroadcast was a pro-human rights stand.
• From FDL: Well, that was really, really horrible. Charlie Gibson and Mr. Snuffalupagus fed Clinton and Obama nothing but gotcha questions. Torture never came up, China never came up, unchecked executive power never came up, and it was 50+ minutes in before they asked any questions that could be considered remotely substantive or issues-based.
• Atrios: Aside from the lack of policy questions, so far this "debate" has been played entirely on wingnut ground. If BillO and Sean Hannity hosted it the questions would've been the same. In a general election debate it would make sense to get questions from the right like that, but in a democratic primary it's just fucking stupid.
• DKos: The questioning in tonight's debate--—mostly straight out of 1988—was an abomination. Gun control. 60's radicalism. Inflammatory black pastors. Respecting or disrespecting the flag. Taxes. Being out of touch with the military. Affirmative Action. I'll bet if they had more time, ABC anchors Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolus would probably have gotten around to asking Obama and Clinton about Willie Horton and Piss Christ.
• Editor & Publisher: In perhaps the most embarrassing performance by the media in a major presidential debate in years, ABC News hosts Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous focused mainly on trivial issues as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama faced off in Philadelphia.
• OpenLeft: Halfway through the debate, not a single question on any policy issue had been asked, it was obvious that this debate was prime-time hit job on Obama. The questions so far have been why he doesn't wear a flag pin, whether or not his pastor loves America, why he can't win, and how many people were offended by his bittergate comments. Except for Clinton being asked about why she wasn't trustworthy, and both of them being asked about their vice-presidential choices, that has been the entire debate. As Master Jack said in the comments, nothing on Iraq, nothing on the economy, nothing on health care, nothing on housing, nothing on global warming, nothing on torture. This is nothing but a prime-time hit job on Democrats, although mainly a hit job on Obama.
• Tapped: Seriously "does rev. wright love america as much as you?" Really? REALLY?!!! Also, "what will you do when clips" of Wright "play over an over" on TV? [... A woman asks if Obama "believes in the American flag" because he doesn't wear a flag pin. Charlie Gibson says that questions about the flag are "all over the internet" -- along with Pamela Anderson's sex tape, cats with bad grammar, and Rick Astley. Journalism at it's finest.
• Huff Post: Why in the world George Stephanopoulos felt compelled to ask Barack Obama if Reverend Wright "loved America" after he had already been made to give another recitation of his repudiation of Wright's remarks is a question that simply defies the imagination. What sort of sensible answer can be given to that question? It would require astral projection to properly gauge another man's emotional state. And if you want to ask Hillary Clinton to account for the odd contortions she advanced on the matter of her Bosnia recollections, just sack up and ask. Don't hide behind the additional, pointless cruelty of a random voter's scoldings that Clinton lost their vote. What a wholly superfluous pile on! And the flag lapel pin question came with this admonishment from Charles Gibson: "It
  keeps coming up, again and again." Well, no shit, Charlie! It keeps "coming up, again and again" because the media resolutely refuses to obtain the necessary courage to stop doing so.

Also from Americablog.com:

"Today's front page Washington Post article about the debate last night comprised twenty-five paragraphs. This is the 23rd paragraph:
The debate also touched on Iraq, Iran, the Middle East,
taxes, the economy, guns and affirmative action.
That pretty much sums up the debate. It's almost comical. One line, in the 23rd paragraph of a 25 paragraph article. Granted, because of the performance of Stephanopoulos and Gibson, the Post didn't have much to work with. The political reporters and pundits didn't get what happened last night, but the Post's media critic, Tom Shales did ..."

Finally ... Here is a great video summarizing the descent of George's career.