It's instructive to compare the promises of Senator Barack Obama, the candidate for the Presidency, with current events. Here's an excerpt from the transcript of the Democratic debate in Philadelphia in April 2008.  Senators Obama and Clinton were the participants. NBC's Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos were the moderators.  We enter the debate soon after the topic focused on the economy. Particularly interesting comments by then Senator Obama appear in italics.MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: An absolute commitment, no middle-class tax increases of any kind? SENATOR CLINTON: No, that's right. That is my commitment. MR. GIBSON: Senator Obama? MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Would you take the same pledge? SENATOR OBAMA: Well, I not only have pledged not to raise their taxes, I've been the first candidate in this race to specifically say I would cut their taxes. And one of the centerpieces of my economic plan would be to say that we are going to offset the payroll tax, the most regressive of...(Read Full Post)