Obama's really blowing his chance to contrast himself  with hillary on Iraq

Gravel yells a lot about the Iran resolution.  His gesturing nearly hits Hillary in the face.  She's given an opportunity to respond and ... cackles...

no one is buying that answer

Oh damn Gravel.

Hillary laughs when confronted about war votes.  What a joke.

Huckabee's diet.  The Richardson plan for fighting the Battle of the Bulge doesn't seem to be working.

Hillary is creeping me out.  Way to be steamrolled Russert!

Yawn

Guiliani is a buffon that is even more unfit to be Commander in Chief than Bush.

nice one Dodd

Tell me that Russert didn't just ask Obama's question for him...

Russert just questioned Clinton's judgment better than Obama or Edwards ever has.

She really echoed my thoughts on sanctuary cities.  Good for her.

Edwards in 2004 is different from 2008.  That is coming back to haunt him now.

I don't think the other candidates are being accurate about why health care failed the first time.  Hillary told the truth, the Republicans made a calculated decision that they would gain politically if they blocked the health care plan regardless of its content.  The idea that there was a way to find a middle ground is just not correct.

The only thing Clinton could have done better is get the message out about the Republican obstructionism, so that the right people got blamed in the end.  That's a talent he developed later on, but it would have served us well back then so history didn't get written the wrong way.

Gravel just had a break-down- the others aren't fairing so well when they get a tough question about themselves.  Gravel literally flipped out.

Was that a swing at Edwards?  "I may not be the perfect consultant blow-dried candidate..."

Okay- Obama made me laugh with his "60 years ago ...." remark and he did have a good comment about Hillary's "lonely" remark.

Wasn't very impressed with his foreign policy answers, but he's on much firmer footing when he's talking about bringing people together and teaching his kids not to fear people who are different. etc. Good stuff.

Why not apply the tax to all income and then decrease the rate?????

I'm for Hillary.  Look at my diary and track record here.

However, she (other than that fabulous outfit) is doing TERRIBLY.  Contrary to people who can never criticize their chosen candidate, I will.

I am still for HRC, but Gravel's comment to her vis-a-vis the vote today about Iran was her very worst moment (IMO), of the entire campaign.

Also, her UHC talk wasn't as sharp as this past Sunday and the comment she just made on Social Security was terrible.  I am VER disappointed in her performance so far.  Edwards is doing the best BY FAR.

I don't think Edwards has mentioned being in the picket line today so I guess I was wrong about that- though I'm still not his biggest fan.

and put him out of his misery.

russert is calling him on his Funny Money...

Gee, I'm proud to be a Democrat sometimes.

Yikes!  Edwards is from NC for goodness sakes, bad move on supporting a smoking ban if he wants to win his home state.

Foolish answers on drinking age.  National healthcare = health police? Booo.

I agree with Gravel and Kucinich that we should lower the drinking age to 18.

I don't like all this regulation of smoking either. How many people are unintentionally affected by second-hand smoke in public places in the America of today? Doesn't the government have better things to do than regulate behavior?

Bush/Clinton dynastic question is a concern of mine.

If she's running on her own, she can't claim to have White House experience as First Lady.  

With Bush as President, lucky is the only way we get the #3 guy...

Other countries use nuclear power very extensively, why not the U.S.? I honestly don't understand why some people are so afraid of nuclear, we're never going to get off oil if we don't expand it.

I like Biden's answer on torture--never under any circumstances. Obama shouldn't start talking about hypotheticals, that's Hillary territory. There shouldn't be any hypotheticals on torture. And what do you know Hillary starts talking about dangerous paths.

Oh, looks like Russert just came up with a really sneaky question. Bill Clinton is wrong too.
 

Man...Chris Matthews hates the Clintons

Not the best performance by Clinton. I think Edwards did good, but Clinton did not hurt herself. Obama...eh.

I concur. A very boring debate indeed.

Edwards got very frazzled about the hedge fund question- he can dish it out but it doesn't look like he can take it.

Interesting debate. Very tough on all.

I thought Clinton's answers were too evasive at times, but other times she had the best answers.  Mixed bag tonight.

Obama was off his game.  They said he had a cold earlier today, so maybe that was the reason, but I think he did not help himself.

Edwards was sharp on some answers, but he also had weak moments, first when he was asked about his 2004 total rejection of UHC's viability, then when he was asked about his financial dealings (Fortress - "I am not apologizing".)  Two moments that cancelled each other out:  "What was the question?" - weak ---- he went over to Kucinich to bonk him over the head in jest - warm and funny.  Mixed bag.

Richardson -- better than I had seen him before.  No gaffes, good answers generally.

Dodd -- not too impressed with him tonight.  Too wonky.

Biden -- weak performance overall.

Kucinich -- pretty forceful.  Better than his position in the race would suggest.

Gravel -- comical relief.

To be fair on a few things:

Clinton got the most attacks lobbed against her, the focus was mostly on her.  As the clear frontrunner in the race, perhaps not surprising.

Also, Gravel, Edwards, Richardson and Kucinich had highly personal attack questions lobbed at them, but not so Obama, Biden and Dodd.  All Obama got was a rather mild question on "experience."  That was weird.  Why not all with the same type of highly personal digs?

---------------------------------------

The race has not changed after this debate.    

Okay so I just finished the debates and there is one thing that just really got on my nerves.   Someone needs to clue Edwards in that HE IS A POLITICIAN and saying things like the Americans people don't trust a bunch of politicians to do healthcare undermines his argument that he can get it done.  Further, there are only so many things that you can do via executive order and healthcare is NOT one of them.  He will not be able to cut off the Congress' healthcare in six months via exec order, HELLO, those 535/100 POLITICIANS are going  to be the ones who determine what happens with his healthcare plans.  Some of them have been in Washington forever, and he will have to deal with them.  Pretending that you are going to pass healthcare without the imput of lobbyists, who may not have donated to you, but certainly donated to those members of Congress does't make sense.  These people will have a seat at the table regardless of the posturing, through their lobbying of those in the Congress.  It's one thing to play the outsider, but to act like you will be able to take unilateral action against the Congress and still get it done is not being honest, and he is big on being honest.

Okay, so that was my rant, and now my impression of the debate.  I missed the first 30 mins, but it was clearly get Hillary night.  I thought Tim Russert asked tough(gotcha questions) but sometimes didn't give the candidates a chance to rebut issues.  Hillary held her own, Dodd did well selling his 26yrs of experience.  Favorite part of the night was when Biden said Giudy had not clue about foreign policy.  Edwards was really doing well for himself(rant above aside) until the end when he was very defensive in answering the haircut, hedge-fund, $800,000 Murdoch question.  When Tim asked reiterated his point on the Hedge-fund about whether Edwards would do it again, there was total silence in the audience, as he talked about looking at his life and not just a single issue.  I truly don't remember anything memorable about Obama tonight, other than his point of not being in favor of the war and challenging Richardson's position on withdrawal at the end.

These repuplican pundits seem to be doing their damnest to stop Hillary- so much for them wanting her to get the nomination.

Edwards, Clinton and Obama were terrible on the key question of the campaign.  

Why should any Dem support them when they can't promise to get our troops out of Iraq by 2013?  

That's pathetic.  

We voted in 2006 to end the war.  

We aren't voting in 2008 to continue it for another five years.  We have the right to have a President who can look us in the eye and say the war is coming to an end, our troops are coming home.

Richardson won the debate.  He was crystal clear on the most critical issue facing our nation.

I heard Edwards say he would get all combat troops out in just a few months, then leave embassy troops (SOP) and guards for humanitarian workers (that's SOP for UN peacekeepers, for Bosnia). I know Timmeh is repeating all ove the waves that Edwards won't primise to get troops out by 2013 - but that's typical of him - he's so into the gotcha. This is the guy who had to testify in the Scooter Libby trial but didn't mention for months and years in his program that he himself! was one of the journalists with first hand info. Jerk.

Edwards is being seen as the winner not on his own merit or amazing speeches on policy but because he was the one who attacked Hillary the most- if he needs to do that to get attention, that's pretty sad.

I liked Obama tonight but I am being told he didn't do well from many commentators but I'm not going to let someone tell me how to think so I will still say he was very good.  If people were not so obsessed with demanding he attack Hillary, people might see that.  

As a huge Hillary supporter I have to say that I am disappointed in one of her answers.  I am a rabid Cubs Fan and I cannot believe the apocolipse will come before the Cubs win the World Series.  We are leading in the National League Central and 99 years is long enough to wait to win the World Series.  Come on Hill you know growing up in Chicago you were a Cubs Fan.  Once a Cubs Fan always a Cubs Fan. There has to be a picture out there of Hill in a Cubs hat or at a Cubs game -- in the interest of truth we need to find out the truth about Hillary's Baseball allegiance.

Anyone who brags about stiffing credit card companies shouldn't be running for president.

I hate credit card companies too, but I pay my debts and I wouldn't brag about not being able to.

Edwards is trying to fight and make it a race but Obama is standing in Edwards way sleepwalking through something that only resembles a campaign.