[update: I guess people on this site care whether I support Hillary or not. I do support her. I don't think this analysis is out of line with what others have said, including the MSM, and I don't think it's a hit piece against any candidate}.
I've found many of these debates very engaging and informative, in spite of some bad moderators, and any debate panel with Tim Russert automatically ranks as one of the worst. To ask a candidate what their greatest strengths and weaknesses are is a futile question. It's something that belongs in a college essay, not a Presidential debate. It took them over 40 minutes to get to a real issue. The member in the audience who yelled at the panel to stop asking 'race based' questions was one of the high points in this debate. Bottom line: Tim Russert is a bloated, self-important idiot.
As this is the first debate with only the top 3 candidates, the pressure was on all the candidates. Here are a few thoughts.
- Barack Obama - Obama had a rough night tonight. He was on the defensive from the beginning, and it seemed as if the nasty tone of the past week took a real toll on him. He seemed to admit that he was partly responsible for the change in tone towards the negative. He was also far too deferential to Tim Russert, which raised questions about his ability to take command of the DC establishment. I don't know why he bothered to answer the stupid question about the 'you're nice enough, Hillary' comment in the NH debate. NH is the past. He should've been forward-looking. Though his answers in the second part of the debate were more substantive and he got a few laugh lines in, his delivery is typically not as fluid or authoritative in these settings as he is on the stump, and tonight was no exception. Since there were fewer people, his verbal stumbling was more apparent. He looked like the junior Senator from Illinois in his first term.
- Hillary Clinton - Hillary was sharp tonight. She took advantage of the first questions to clear the air on the race baiting controversy without having to be on the defensive. It was smart politics. Then, she took one of Tim Russert's stupid questions, and turned it into a broadside whack of George W. Bush, describing the scene of a US President going to the Saudis hat in hand begging them to reduce the price of oil as pathetic. When it turned to serious policy issues, she has continued to display her mastery of detail and an ability to explain complex situations to average people. She told us what a soverign wealth fund is, who runs them, and why these foreign interests have our banks by the cojones, and connected it to the housing crisis. She connected many questions to issues that Nevadans face. She also reminded voters about the big picture: beating the GOP and replacing Bush. She looked like the candidate she has advertised herself to be: a serious, hard-working heavyweight ready to be President on Day 1.
- John Edwards - This was Edwards' best performance to date. He stuck to his message about how the global economy is rapidly redistributing jobs and wealth in a manner that damages the interests of the middle class, and that there are real costs to middle class families. He didn't get into needless squabbles with other candidates, and left his prosecutor's hat at the door (much needed). He also spoke clearly on Iraq, and his emphasis on eliminating permanent military bases was a welcome addition to the debate. He also explained a few policies that he would support, which has often been missing in his prior debate performances. Edwards does have limitations in explaining the why and how to fix a problem, and when contrasted with Hillary, one wonders how much stronger Edwards' candidacy would have been had he stayed in the Senate and produced a record that reflected his new found convictions following the 2004 defeat. Describing the how, why and what to do is a strength of the Clintons and is also the reason why Bill got elected twice and why Hillary has been in front in most polling over the last year. If Edwards doesn't win, I'd like to see him run for Governor of NC or the Senate once again, and see what kind of initiatives he could develop.
In terms of political impact, I think Obama didn't really set himself apart from Hillary and their two performances seemed to validate the reasons why Hillary has been ahead in most national polling. Edwards may have gotten some voters to take a second look at him. Hillary validated her strengths and probably won the Nevada caucus with her performance tonight, especially in her ability to relate the questions to Nevada issues.