There’s no question that the best moment in any of the debates so far in the 2008 season is Joe Biden’s quip that that every sentence of Rudy Giuliani’s includes “a noun, a verb, and 9/11.” However, I’d say that this is a very strong contender for the second best moment:
That was just pitch perfect, on your feet timing right there.
UPDATE (James Joyner): The text version for readers without the ability to hear the video:
MODERATOR: Senator Obama, you have Bill Clinton’s former National Security Adviser, State Department policy director and maybe secretary among others, advising you. With relatively little foreign policy experience of your own, how will you rely on so many Clinton advisers, and still deliver the kind of break from the past that you’re promising voters?
(Laughter)
Obama: You know I am —
Hillary: (Laughing) I want to hear that.
Obama: Well, Hillary, I’m looking forward to you advising me as well. (Laughter)
An Andrew Sullivan reader* assesses the situation keenly:
[T]his was a grievous unforced error on Hillary’s part. In my eyes, her crowing reaction damages her as much as Obama’s comeback benefits him. All she needed to do was listen politely as Obama squirmed, and the moment was hers. Instead, she reacted like a comic book supervillain and handed a superhero moment to Obama.
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