To rival the WWF

The two Democratic candidates for Governor of California met in a third and final debate Wednesday night. Phil Angelides and Steve Westly traded accusations for a little less than an hour at the studios of CBS-5 in San Francisco.

Based on the LA Times report it seems the affair was typical of primary elections. Lots of accusations with little illumination. Some excerpts to give you a flavor:

-State Treasurer Angelides portrayed his rival as a Republican in a Democrat's navy blue suit who is attempting to use his dot-com fortune to buy his way into the governor's office. "Steve, I've got to tell you something," Angelides said at one point. "If you think you can just put $22.5 million of your own money to try to buy the governorship without examining your record, you're wrong."

-State Controller Westly retorted: "Once again, a complete falsehood from our treasurer."

-Much of the discussion revolved around Angelides' call to raise taxes on the well-to-do and corporations. He suggested it was the only serious plan from either candidate that would fund the state's education needs.

Westly repeatedly called it a $10-billion tax increase that would directly affect working-class Californians. Angelides said that figure was a fabrication, and scolded Westly, saying his criticism was reminiscent of the attack conservatives leveled on President Clinton's tax plan.

"You know, Steve, those charges were phony then, and they're phony now, and you ought to be ashamed of recycling those Fox News smears," Angelides said.

On a point of substance, such an argument from Westly does give me pause and is probably the only reason I can think of to this point to keep from writing him off completely.

For all it's un-remarkable back-and-forth though, the debate did have it's moments. The exchange included this most blog-a-licious of quotes from Angelides:

Steve, you stood up to Arnold Schwarzenegger like Ed McMahon stood up to Johnny Carson."