This post was written by Hatchet reporter Rachel Miklaszewski.

Hundreds of students packed into Lisner Auditorium on Sunday to watch nearly two hours of verbal sparring between an award-winning conservative commentator and the mastermind behind President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.

Charles Krauthammer, the best-selling author and regular Fox News contributor, levied snarky comments against campaign strategist David Plouffe as they debated over the Affordable Care Act roll-out and the Obama administration’s foreign policy in Ukraine.

“A definition of a liberal: Somebody who doesn’t care what you do as long as it’s mandatory,” Krauthammer said as many in the audience laughed.

Krauthammer, a doctor-turned-commentator, pointed to the 5 million Americans who have had their plans cancelled after the sweeping healthcare legislation rolled out, which broke Obama’s campaign promise that citizens could keep their insurance.

Still, Plouffe warned that the Republican Party’s negative talking points could prove “fatal” because they alienate growing voting blocks such as blacks, Hispanics and single women who make up the Democratic base.

As they transitioned to the crisis in Ukraine, Krauthammer called Obama’s diplomacy “a policy of retreat,” echoing conservative sentiment that the Obama administration has not taken a strong enough stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Plouffe defended the administration’s actions, saying Obama has “restored diplomacy to America’s toolbox” after years of hawkish policies.

The debate, which the College Democrats and College Republicans both sponsored, was part of the Program Board’s event series called #OnlyAtGW.