The Commander-In-Chief Forum last night was a preview for the General Election debates to come...

NYT: The left is not happy with Matt Lauer today!

I watched the Commander-In-Chief Forum last night. Personally, I hated how Matt Lauer kept speaking over and interrupting Trump's answers (so this perception of unfairness may be a wee bit subjective). The truth is anyone else who did what Hillary Clinton did would be facing prosecution and likely jail time. 

She can't even #lie without help from a gaggle of other #liars through an earpiece @HillaryClinton #HillarysEarpiece pic.twitter.com/YIMVd72SjH

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) September 8, 2016

DRUDGE REPORT, Lem Levity: What the heck was that thing in Hillary's Ear?

Apparently the left did not care that Hillary Clinton has poor answers to issues regarding her handling of classified emails. So is Hillary mentally impaired or is she intentionally dodging?  So what if the Clintons turned a presidential library into a global graft and corruption machine and deceived the IRS to boot? 

Anti-Lauer mania is a warning shot to debate moderators.

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) September 8, 2016

Ed Driscoll: A mob of angry white journalists try to intimidate a black man

I did not think Lauer did a good job, but I do not like these forums anyway.  They are way too controlled and easily manipulated by a dishonest media.  For these forums and town-halls, I would much rather fairly screen regular person questions (no ringers with undeclared partisan ties) and then let those same real persons have a follow up question with the candidate.  Save the media "fact checking" for post forum spin. Usually there are two sides to it anyway.  

I do not like the "modern" debate format either. I would rather the candidates be given a issue to address and then each candidate address the issue with each other. I do not care what the debate moderator's take is, I care what the candidates have to say. The moderators should only be calling out the time allotted.  

But there is a warning here for Trump.  You can be damn sure the media (also known as Hillary Clinton's Sturmabteilung) will be geared up for "gotchas" with Trump in the debates coming up (certainly the first debate).  

The big issue for them is when did Donald Trump oppose the Iraq war?  There are some legs to this. Trump was equivocal about war about six months before it started (although a passing remark on the Howard Stern show is not the same as voting for the war in the Senate like Hillary Clinton did).  Trump did come out publicly opposing the Iraq war relatively early in the process.  

I supported the Iraq War when it started. A lot of people did (including Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Joe Biden).  I do not accept the war was started on a lie. Everyone thought Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and in fact he did have them (and some of them ended up in Syria).  

If we want to criticize Bush, the occupation was poorly handled at the start. Bush (to his credit) eventually fired those who were not doing a good job and implemented the Surge. The Surge worked and Iraq (albeit fragile) was stabilized. Some claim there was a lack of pressure by Bush and then Obama to make the Iraq government more inclusive to Sunnis, but given the timing that burden should have fallen to the Obama administration.  And then Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton threw what gains were made all away.  Even The Atlantic acknowledged Obama's policies were a disaster in Iraq. 

You can be sure this issue is coming back. Of course, while Trump deserves some questioning on it, doesn't Hillary deserve far more?  Hillary Clinton was actively involved in the Iraq War (Trump was not).  More importantly, Hillary Clinton was central to the decision to go into Libya (Libya was Hillary's war of choice) and was involved with Obama in what happened in Iraq and Syria during his administration. Hillary Clinton's tenure in the State Department was a series of disasters and failures. 

I am sure the left will be pulling all the stops for that first debate.  It won't just be the Iraq War, they will be going after Trump on Trump U and everything else they can come up with.  

Meanwhile, Obama would rather apologize to the world for the United States in general, than anything he has done. But what else is new.  

EBL: Commander-In-Chief Forum

James Comey may also like dressing up and pretending he is J. Edgar Hoover?@AceofSpadesHQ https://t.co/hVkY9IWxX7 pic.twitter.com/vhdSwsCNAs

— Evi L. Bloggerlady (@MsEBL) September 8, 2016

AoSHQ: James Comey is a pathetic political disgrace

Legal Insurrection: #HillaryEarPiece: A Social Media Star Is Born

Breitbart: Moderators Under Scrutiny, Lauer attacked by Media

Rush Limbaugh: Rush's Analysis of the Commander-In-Chief Forum and Hillary Ear Piece?

Instapundit: Hyper partisan Lauer bashing (mostly from the left), How dare Matt Lauer treat Hillary and Trump the same, Trump accuses Hillary of running a criminal enterprise, Hillary's minions worked the refs good and hard, Secret to a happy life: Find a love that looks at you the way the press looks at Hillary, Roger Simon: James Comey should resign now, Austin Bay: Don't let Comey put a criminal in the White House

RedState: Panic by David Brock over Chris Wallace as Debate Moderator