What's with the Martha Raddatz luv?

Martha Raddatz helped make the debate a lively TV show, and she asked some good follow-ups at times, and I would he happy to see her moderate another debate sometime, but she also demonstrated some of the most pointed bias I have ever seen from a debate moderator. (Not partisan bias, merely bias.)

A debate moderator does not argue a position, and certainly does not argue a position based on her personal investigative reporting. Her contradiction of Biden with her personal knowledge of what generals in Afghanistan think was a debate absurdity.

And this was not a one time thing. Biden never got mad at Ryan but there were several times when he was mad at Raddatz, with his finger in her face and barking that her personal characterization of military and diplomatic events was wrong.

Her personal characterization.

It was almost like she was taking advantage of the opportunity to offer the Obama administration her policy insights on Afghanistan.

Odd.

And in terms of getting at important information... Remember when Biden asked Ryan whether he could guarantee that Romney wouldn't reduce the Mortgage Interest tax deduction for people making under $100K/year?

That was THE moment... THE question... I was drooling. If I could ask Romney one question that would be the one. And Ryan was about to say something in response and she told him not to answer it because she wanted to move on to another topic!

Also, the abortion question was offensive. Who cares how Biden and Ryan's Catholic faith affects their abortion views? It isn't a Barbara Walters special or some "up close and personal" Olympics moment, it's a political debate. And the, "Please make your answer personal..."

A woman who needs an abortion doesn't care about Biden and Ryan's spiritual path. She wants to know whether she will be able to get one, which is an active policy question. A candidate is free to interject religion into the policy debate, but why would a moderator request that he interject religion?

How about, "What ARE your abortion views?" or, "Explain this inconsistency in your policy view."

The fact that Biden answered the absurd question very well doesn't change the fact that it was a dumb 'gotcha' question... why would any moderator ask a candidate to justify or explain his failure to follow the dictates of the Pope?

Jim Leher was so horrible that I guess any moderator with a pulse was an improvement, but Raddatz's moderation had little to do with what went on. The two candidates really set the style of the debate.

Jim Leher didn't control his debate and Raddatz didn't control her debate. The difference was that this time our guy was taking better advantage of the free form style, so it looked a lot better.

I have always liked Martha Raddatz. She has always been among my favorites on the Sunday Chris Matthews show.

But it was a strange take on moderating a debate.