Scipio

No real winner, but Clark didn't do so hot. If I had to call it, the winners were Edwards and Kerry, with Dean a solid second. The problem for Dean is that he really needed to hit a home run in this debate, and he put up a performance that was merely good.

The biggest problem I had was the format. Brit Hume was among the questioners, and throughout the debate, all we got were RNC talking points worded as questions. Clark got about 5 or 6 questions like that. Edwards was asked about how a Democratic party leader called Bush a bigot, and about how his youth might disqualify him. The candidates were actually asked to pledge support for keeping the NH primary first in the schedule.

Basically, I don't think the debate will truly hurt anyone, but it is an opportunity lost (or rather not exploited) for Dean and Clark.

__________________
"Erections lasting more than 4 hours, though rare, require immediate medical attention."

anleja

Here is a link to a transcript:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?nav=hptop_ts

I appreciated how they are all going towards the non-mudslinging approach.

I did think Dean looked trapped between acting like how he wanted to (passionate) and acting like how he thought he should (subdued).

Also, I've never really took the chance to seek out Kucinich's views, but it would be nice if his longshot goals could be turned into reality:

GRIFFITH: Congressman Kucinich, let me get very local with you for a minute, if I can. We here in New Hampshire, of course, some of our school districts are having trouble meeting the testing standards of No Child Left Behind, which apparently you did vote for, you were in favor of, I believe. Is that correct?

Our education commissioner recently said that we can't really settle on what is a very narrow and strict determination of the student's progress. What would you do, at this point, with No Child Left Behind? Would you throw it out? And if you would, what would you replace it with?

KUCINICH: The answer to your question is, yes, I would.

And what I would replace it with is a new educational structure where the focus would be on helping to bring forth the creativity of our children, in stressing arts and language, music; to invite the participation of educational philosophers and psychologists and administrators and teachers and parents and children; to take a new focus on our education, to stop this incessant direction of trying to make our nation of test-takers, of putting the pressure on teachers to teach to the test, and then school districts depending on the results of those tests for their funding.

No Child Left Behind has not worked out the way that anyone thought it would. And what has happened is, it's become an unfunded mandate. It has become a misdirection of the way education ought to be in America.

I would have a universal pre-kindergarten program where children can go to school beginning at age 3, a fully funded elementary and secondary education act, and free college tuition for all America's young people.

Starfish

To me it was hard to pick which one of those was better. Edwards did not answer the questions is a clearcut way to me. All of them had WONDERFUL points and that is what makes it so hard to decide. I loved it when Edwards and the later Dean stood up for the people and what they were all about. I hated that Kerry, when asked about why he supported the war, just slid it off and didn't stand up for what he really believed in the first place. He should have known that he was going to have to answer to what he allowed Bush to do. He should know that you can't always take a presidents word when he promises to do something. He made a stupid decision and he didn't even admit to it he just made excuses for himself.......

__________________
Evil Milkman: "So I wonder what it would taste like now?"

Me: "Like a big floppy penis that hasn't been washed in a couple days."

mml

I am a political junky, and this debate bored me. I felt like they were all going to have milk and cookies afterwards. I really liked it when Edwards said he was tired of the fluff questions and wanted to discuss jobs and actual issues. Hopefully, we can thin the ranks some more so there can be actual debate, not just extended sound-bites.

IMO - Kerry and Edwards did well (although Edwards looked a little weak when he knew nothing about the Defense of Marraige Act and Kerry always goes on for a sentence or two too long), Dean did as well as could be expected, Lieberman did well, but I think its too little, too late, Clark got beat up fairly well, but he needed to have that happen if he is going to learn how to survive an election. Kucinich and Sharpton were wasting our time(although Al always makes some good jokes).

__________________
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
-Douglas Adams