Hotline After Dark -- Obama's Night

There was a lot of TV talk last night about Barack Obama and the state of his campaign, particularly his response to Bob Novak's column this past week:

NBC's Gregory: "Obama has appeared more forceful on the campaign trail" ("Nightly News," 11/19).

MSNBC's Shuster: "Obama's also ratcheting up the intensity of his campaign, and Obama has repeatedly said he's not going to repeat the general election mistakes John Kerry made three years ago when Kerry considered Swift Boat attack ads so ridiculous that he didn't challenge them for weeks" ("Hardball," 11/19).

FNC's Garrett: "Clinton has never spoken directly to Novak's charge or Obama's angry reaction. But in an economic speech today in Knoxville, she amplified her campaign's central charge against Obama, and this flap is specifically and in the campaign generally that Obama overreacted and that proves he is not experienced enough for the White House" ("Special Report," 11/19).

Politico's Simon, on Obama's response to Novak's column: "It's also designed to change the conversation away from a pretty poor debate performance in Las Vegas, get reporters off that story line, get reporters not writing about immigration and driver's licenses, but get them writing about Hillary Clinton being a mud thrower and a hypocrite" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 11/19).

Chicago Tribune's Warren: "There really is the shadow of the Kerry campaign looming all over this and the belief, at least the conventional wisdom, that in this Internet age, you must react instantly to any stuff like this" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 11/19).

NBC's Todd: "One thing that Obama does is, they have emphasized the process story a lot. They talk about the campaign and they talk about tactics. But, sometimes, he fails to do that second punch. You know, the one is, sort of, OK, this is dirty politics, and I'm not going to tolerate it. But what's to follow? He needs to say why this is bad politics. This is why we couldn't get health care done or we couldn't get the economy, or we can't do this or we can't do that. He's not pivoting when he talks about this stuff enough. And I think, sometimes, he looks like he's just focused on process and not talking about why that process matters to the general public" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 11/19).

New Yorker's Lizza, asked if Obama has an experienced team like the Clinton '92 team running his war room: "We won't know unless they win. Those guys, Carville and Stephanopoulos, weren't Carville and Stephanopoulos until they won. There's nothing like winning to prove that you're one of those people. I think the jury is still out on that" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 11/19).

Novak appeared on "Special Report" to talk about his source:

Novak: "My source is a big Democrat who is neutral right now, but was told by an agent of the Clinton campaign who was involved in the campaign about the alleged scandal."

More: "This is very similar to the kind of tricks that Richard Nixon used to pull where he would say I know some very bad information about the communists supporting George McGovern, but I can't put that out because it wouldn't be right, but I'm just too good of a guy" (FNC, 11/19).

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT JOHN MCCAIN

CNN's J. King: "Tom Kean does not have a political organization in place, he's been out of elected politics for some time, but he does have the stature, the American people remember him" ("Situation Room," 11/19).

Tom Kean was in the "Situation Room" to discuss his endorsement of John McCain:

Asked why as a co-chair of the 9/11 Commission he would not endorse Giuliani: "I would never say anything against Rudy Giuliani, because he's been a friend of mine for a long time and he's very able. But I just have to endorse John McCain because nobody, in my mind, has done anything more to keep the American people safer than John McCain. John McCain was the one who got the 9/11 Commission going. John McCain was the one who supported our recommendations. He took on everybody, from leaders of his own party, to the White House itself, to try and get recommendations through to make the American people safer. And, so, I, in conscience, just feel I have to endorse John McCain."

More: "Rudy Giuliani did a very great job on that day of 9/11. But, today, I'm up here because I happen to feel the best man to be president is John McCain, not to criticize Rudy Giuliani, just to support John McCain."

On his son endorsing Giuliani: "There is nobody I respect more than my son, but every now and then, we don't agree on everything. And I guess our choice for president this year is a little bit different" (CNN, 11/19). [EMILY GOODIN]