The last debate before the NV Caucuses was something of a letdown for those looking for fiery back-and-forth. There were no real winners and no real losers, as the candidates stuck to the high road after a week spent battling over racial issues. With the race here very close, and no one really sure what the impact of this caucus will be on the overall race, everyone seemed to be playing it safe.

But there were a few good moments for Sen Clinton, who resumed the confident, cool, collected debate persona she maintained when she was the clear frontrunner last summer.

She took full advantage of Senator Obama’s admission that he’s not much for managing bureaucracy, arguing that the next president will have to be an effective chief operating officer to keep the country safe.
And she scored points against Obama and Edwards on the issue of depositing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, one of the key issues in the state (read the campaign’s research memo attacking her two rivals on the issue after the jump).

But it says something about just how interesting this debate was when what the campaign called her “Video Moment of the Debate” was a short riff on George Bush’s energy policy. Check it out below.

Tonight, Hillary discussed the records of Sens. Obama and Edwards on Yucca Mountain:

CLINTON: Well I voted against Yucca Mountain in 2001. I have been consistently against Yucca Mountain. I held a hearing in the environment committee, the first that we’ve had in some time, looking at all the reasons why Yucca Mountain is not workable. The science does not support it. We do have to figure out what to do with nuclear waste. You know Barack has one of his biggest supporters in terms of funding, the Exelon Corporation, which has spent millions of dollars  trying to make Yucca Mountain the waste depository. John was in favor of it twice when he voted to override President Clinton’s veto and then voted for it again. I have consistently and persistently been against Yucca mountain and I will make sure it does not come into effect when I’m president.

ALL OF HILLARY’S CLAIMS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE FACTS:

EXELON IS THE SIXTH LARGEST DONOR TO SEN. OBAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND THE FOURTH LARGEST CAREER DONOR TO SEN. OBAMA’S FEDERAL CAMPAIGNS: Exelon employees have donated over $269,100 to his federal campaigns and over$194,750 in 2008. [opensecrets.org, 2008, 2004-2008]

EXELON’S CEO IS A KEY ADVOCATE FOR STORING NUCLEAR WASTE AT YUCCA: “So what does Exelon Chief Executive Officer John Rowe want? Fortune magazine, in a May 15, 2006, article titled ‘Meet Mr. Nuke,’ details Rowe’s call to solve the waste problem before additional nuclear power plants are built. “We have to be able to look the public in the eye and say, ‘If we build a plant, here’s where the waste will go,’ ” Rowe told Fortune. The Yucca Mountain Project is the ‘linchpin’ to solving the waste problem and building new plants.”[Las Vegas Review Journal, 5/15/07]

EXELON HAS SPENT MILLIONS LOBBYING TO OPEN UP YUCCA MOUNTAIN:

- In 2002, Exelon spent $2,172,000 dollars on lobbying the federal government on issues including ‘Yucca Mountain Project Management’ [sopr.senate.gov, mid-year; year end]

- In 2003, Exelon spent $2,864,400 dollars on lobbying the federal government on issues including ‘Yucca Mountain Project Management’ [sopr.senate.gov, mid-year; year end]

- In 2004, Exelon spent over $1,000,000 dollars on lobbying the federal government on issues including ‘Yucca Mountain Project Management’ [sopr.senate.gov, mid-year; year end]

- In 2005, Exelon spent $1,815,000 dollars on lobbying the federal government on issues including ‘the Department of Energy’s Yucca Mountain Project.’ [sopr.senate.gov, mid-year, year-end]

- In 2006, Exelon spent $1,329,014 dollars on lobbying the federal government on issues including ‘the Department of Energy’s Yucca Mountain Project.’ [sopr.senate.gov, mid-year, year-end]

- In 2007, Exelon spent $1,732,321 dollars on lobbying the federal government on issues including the ‘Yucca Mountain National Interest…’ [sopr.senate.gov, mid-year]

JOHN EDWARDS VOTED TWICE TO OPEN-UP YUCCA MOUNTAIN TO NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE:

- Sen. Edwards voted for and against Yucca Mountain in 2000; in 2002, he supported Yucca Mountain again. “In February 2000, Edwards voted against a bill calling for nuclear waste storage in Nevada by the year 2007. But after President Clinton vetoed the bill, Edwards changed course and voted to override the veto. In July 2002, Edwards voted for President Bush’s designation of Yucca Mountain as the site of a nuclear waste repository.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2/12/04]