Was just listening to Rush Limbaugh in the car, and he laid out where Obama lost the night. Hillary’s answer to Russert on releasing her papers from the National Archives was a hash, suggesting she cannot persuade Bill Clinton to release their corresponence.

Instead of a simple, four word, “What are you hiding?” — it could have been incredulous instead of accusatory — Obama went into a pablum-filled speech about openness. Blah.

The full exchange is below:

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Russert: Senator Clinton, I’d like to follow up, because in terms of your experience as first lady, in order to give the American people an opportunity to make a judgment about your experience, would you allow the National Archives to release the documents about your communications with the president, the advice you gave? Because, as you well know, President Clinton has asked the National Archives not to do anything until 2012.
Clinton: Well, actually, Tim, the Archives is moving as rapidly as the Archives moves. There’s about 20 million pieces of paper there. And they are move, and they are releasing as they do their process. And I am fully in favor of that. Now, all of the records, as far as I know, about what we did with health care, those are already available. Others are becoming available. And I think that, you know, the Archives will continue to move as rapidly as its circumstances and processes demand.
Russert: But there was a letter written by President Clinton specifically asking that any communication between you and the president not be made available to the public until 2012. Would you lift that ban?
Clinton: Well, that’s not my decision to make, and I don’t believe that any president or first lady ever has. But, certainly, we’re move as quickly as our circumstances and the processes of the National Archives permits.

“That’s not my decision to make?” No, it’s Bill Clinton’s decision, and one would think she might have a little influence over that decision. Her answer doesn’t even make sense. But given that opening, look how Obama responds:

Russert: Senator Obama, your hand is up?
Obama: Well, look, I’m glad that Hillary took the phrase “turn the page.” It’s a good one, but this is an example of not turning the page. We have just gone through one of the most secretive administrations in our history.
And not releasing, I think, these records at the same time, Hillary, that you’re making the claim that this is the basis for your experience, I think, is a problem.
Part of what we have to do is invite the American people back to participate in their government again. Part of what we need to do is rebuild trust in our government again.
And that means being open and transparent and accountable to the American people. And that’s one of the hallmarks of my previous work in the state legislature, in the United States Senate, making sure that Americans know where our money is going, what earmarks are out there, what kinds of pork barrel spending is being done, who’s bungling money for who.
And that, I think, is part of the job of the next president, is making Americans believe that our government is working for them; because right now, they don’t feel like it’s working for them. They feel like it’s working for special interests and it’s working for corporations.
One last point I want to make — part of the reason that Republicans, I think, are obsessed with you, Hillary, is because that’s a fight they’re very comfortable having. It is the fight that we’ve been through since the ’90s.
And part of the job of the next president is to break the gridlock and to get Democrats and independents and Republicans to start working together to solve these big problems like health care or climate change or energy.
And what we don’t need is another eight years of bickering. And that’s precisely why I’m running for president, because one of the things I’ve been able to do, throughout my political career, is to bring people together to get things done.