When politicians debate, there is a chance there will be some moment that works well for a candidate (Reagan’s “youth and inexperience” wisecrack towards Walter Mondale) or very badly (Rick Perry’s “Oops” moment or Al Gore’s constant sighing) . Then there are just bizarre moments. For example, who in their right mind would use 9/11 as a means of defending the campaign contributions from Wall Street firms?

Hillary Clinton.

Bernie Sanders asked rhetorically about Wall Street contributions in the Democrat debate Saturday night to candidates saying “they expect something” in return. In a moment she likely thinks will be beneficial to her, thanks to an audience filled with clapping seals, Hillary defended the donations she receives from Wall Street by saying they are tied to the 9/11 attacks:

How about that? First she goes the “I am woman” route with her useless factoid about the percentage of her donors who are women and then launches into her bizarre defense of the donations. She makes two absurd points:

1. The donations are a “Thank you” from Wall Street Firms due to her apparently saving downtown Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks.

2. The donations are a “rebuke” to the terrorists.

The only thing missing is the Mighty Mouse theme playing after with Hillary dubsmashing, “HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAYYYYYY!”

Here is the real reason Hillary gets money from Wall Street:

As Clinton tries to talk tough about how she will stand up to America’s biggest banks, her Democratic rivals are likely to remind voters just how cozy she’s been with Wall Street.

Clinton made $3.15 million in 2013 alone from speaking to firms like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank and UBS, according to the list her campaign released of her speaking fees.

“Her closeness with big banks on Wall Street is sincere, it’s heart-felt, long-established and well known,” former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has said on the campaign trail.

While Clinton has given paid speeches to many groups, Wall Street banks and investment houses made up a third of her speech income.

Also:

Sanders has been outspoken that the big banks are still “too big to fail” and should be broken up.

Clinton’s anti-Wall Street policies stop far short of that, with proposals to tax short-term trading and impose a “risk fee” on big banks with assets over $50 billion.

Wall Street’s reaction to her plan to regulation big banks was mostly a sigh of relief.

“We continue to believe Clinton would be one of the better candidates for financial firms,” one analyst wrote.

Hopefully, Hillary’s rivals are writing scripts for the ads they can create with this material.