or is it a draw?

Will it have any impact on Super Tuesday?

Rob Reiner, he didn't like that.

This was Clinton's debate, all the way. A dazzling performance, very careful and methodical in her responses. Supremely detailed and controlled. She has been the absolute winner--not even close. The best line EVER--"It took a Clinton to clean up after the FIRST Bush, and it just might take another Clinton to clean up after the SECOND Bush." THE DEMOCRATIC LINE OF THE YEAR AND THE CAMPAIGN. Say hello, America, to the first woman president. She's going to clean up next Tuesday!

See a dream ticket... and Stevie Wonder stands up. Gota say if he see's it, everybody see's it.

Texas '02!

Can't imagine that happening.  Great answer, Obama!

The "arrogant" meme seems to be catching on lately, or people are just starting to see his arrogance more clearly now.

Texas '02?? I don't get it.

he treats this like it's his saturday morning show. what a turd.

short list."

Nice.

That would be great.  Obama in audience asking Hillary a question during townhall.

I think Obama won but Hillary did have a couple good rounds - I don't think they swayed many votes either way.

I think that Hillary fans will say that Hillary won and Obama's that Obama.

On the other hand, Hillary definitely won.

Obama jumped up so quick I think he knocked his chair over in his hurry to get in place to pull out Clinton's chair.

Hillary so won the debate...BIG TIME!!!

Obama wiped the floor on Iraq. No spin zone, great win for Obama. The momentum will be on a roll

A draw until the war issue.  Obama gets the sound bite "Right on day one."

That wins it for him.

With exception of some shit questions from Wolf, this was my favorite debate so far. Both did really well and handled their differences with class.

Each won a round or two, but it was too close to call a winner. Because I like Obama, I think he did a tad better, but I expect Clinton partisans differ.

Obama might have won Iraq but Hillary defiantly won the whole debate  

the best debate.

Democrats won.

No way, Drummond.

This was Clinton's debate, all the way. A dazzling performance, very careful and methodical in her responses. Supremely detailed and controlled. She has been the absolute winner--not even close. The best line EVER--"It took a Clinton to clean up after the FIRST Bush, and it just might take another Clinton to clean up after the SECOND Bush." THE DEMOCRATIC LINE OF THE YEAR AND THE CAMPAIGN. Say hello, America, to the first woman president. She's going to clean up next Tuesday!

At least the Obama supporters admit that HRC was winning before the debate. Given all this momentum talk, they are saying just that.

Did Obama try and help Hillary out of her chair at the end?  Give me a break.  

What a twit!  Thank god she sat still until he moved away.

I mean - STUPID.  She's not fragile and she's not ancient, Barack.

MSNBC couldn't wait 5 minutes to try to spin this as an Obama win. Pathetic.

Clinton overall, Obama on Iraq.  I think she had more substance, he had more one-liners.  It's been a long road, but I'm glad it was civil.  I also wish we got clear answers on Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama.

I thought they were both very impressive.  If I have to pick a winner I think Hillary was more solid throughout.

I really don't know what to make of the people who think Obama was a big winner because of the AUMF stuff.  He certainly got the better of that exchange, but do you people not realize that everyone who sees that vote as a key distinction is already voting for Obama?

Did he really try and help her up out of her chair at the end?  What a jerk.

She's quite capable of standing without an assist - she only 60 and she strong enough to run for POTUS.

He looked really dump IMHO

...In other word, it's a tie.

Go to bed and get some sleep.

Even if she was wrong on the Iraq issue, she still came across as more forceful in believing that what she has done and is doing is right.  And that's what being a President is all about.  If we needed someone to be right all the time (as Barack seemed to indicate), we wouldn't have a President because no one would be qualified!

Her superior command of detail was evident throughout and she got best applause line with audience there. She was weaker in section on vote basically because she doesn't want to say anything that might harm her in a general so he has more sea room basically. His line was good. However I really think this is issue big in mind of a minority because majority knows they were all voting the same way as her. Most people want to know what were going to do not why we did what we did. Does anyone win these debates. At the end of it people are left with a vague impression and I don't think she's going to be unhappy with the impression she left which was this is one hell of a formidable woman.      

I nodded off after about 20 minutes. I think whoever wins the nomination needs to spend some time learning from Edwards about how to inject some passion into their answers.

My general view is that Clinton seemed confident and was successful in her attempt to look like she was in control. She kept her voice down for the most part and provided nothing to help Obama convince people that she'll be a polarizing candidate in the fall. She helped herself because the non-story of the debate will perhaps calm the press from starting to perceive momentum for Obama, as earlier news today suggested it would.

Obama got the byte with being "right on day one".

But by and large this was so soporific and the target audience of Feb 5 voters is so vast that I doubt it will have any lasting impact.

I don't remember that part...

Obama had the best line of the night, "You have to be right on day one."

I think he did himself well with Hispanics on the immigration issue and definitely won the Iraq discussion.

I thought they both did well. I wouldn't use the word "dazzling" to describe either of their performances.

Obama won by not losing. He clearly won on Iraq and held his own on healthcare. I think he did a better job appealing to the Hispanic vote.

Because Clinton didn't knock him out, it won't erase his momentum. It'll be a very close race still.

Olbermann is much easier on the ears.

In saying that he wanted to choose good people with expertise and a commitment above all to the American people, he used the construction, "From the Vice President to the lowest civil servant..."

It was not a great way to put it, but all he meant was "throughout my administration."

One other thing:

This was an incredible debate. A two hour long policy discussion? That was awesome! I loved the unrestrictive nature and that each candidate had 2-3 minutes to respond to each question.

Al Gore would have loved this debate.

for her reaction

is a disappointment.

I call it a draw!

A lot of good comments by Obama that are going to be played.

On McCain: "The wheels are coming off the straight-talk express."

On Romney: "He hasn't gotten a very good return on his investment."

On the War: "You have to be right on day one."

Msnbc has been saying it's his best performance so far and I would agree. That Iraq discussion was very long and Hillary basically just ran in circles on it.

Bill Bennett says Clinton won.  He was disappointed that he didn't go at her.

Typical stuff from Clinton. Very solid on the issues, engaging in a few spots. Dominated early and held on for a slight win to clear win.

Probably Obama's best debate. Now he has had many good debates so I don't know what that says but he was funny and knowledgeable in many cases tonight. After coming up short in his attacks early, he stayed away from that and benefitted in the last half.

We have two great candidates and will win in November.

Obama did fantastic! He's on his way...

The Democratic party won tonight!!!
Both candidates looks great tonight, both candidates looked very Presidential, and I believe we did look at the next President tonight, and possible the next Vice President as well.
Obama was strong with every answer he gave, and obviously resisted the temptation to go negative.
Hillary also looked strong in every answer she gave, and put to rest a lot of the concerns I had for her
Both candidates made it clear that they could spank McCain in a debate, and send him crying on general Election night, and that is all I care about.
I am still leaning slightly towards Obama, because he answered the Iraq War questions more crisply than Clinton did (the advantage of being against the war from the beginning), but Clinton proved her credentials and that she can stand strong against any Republican, as long as her husband can keep his mouth shut.
As long as Clinton has Obama as a running mate she will carry most states in the general election, and Obama will carry most states no matter who he runs with.

It seems to me that Obama supporters think Obama won, and Clinton supporters think Clinton won. Maybe the undecideds know.

BTW, Fox is covering the Hollway disappearence. They are going to lose a lot of money in the next 8 years.

From Andrew Sullivan,
It was, I think, his best debate in the campaign so far. The one-on-one format elevated him instantly and he commanded the stage and the occasion. Hillary Clinton did not do poorly. All her strengths were on show: the policy mastery, the gaffe-free talking points, the Clinton record in the 1990s. But that made his mastery all the more impressive. The good natured sparring helped him. He neutralized her on healthcare and simply cleaned up on the war in Iraq. But most crucial: he seemed like a president. He was already battling McCain. She was still pivoting off Bush. In his body language, he carefully upstaged her, without looking as if he were trying. By the end of the debate, he was pulling her chair back for her.

I'd say that he won the primary election tonight. She is still a formidable candidate and her massive institutional advantage may eventually give her the nomination. But she hasn't won this primary argument or this primary battle. If she becomes the nominee, it will be because she survived the primaries. He won them.

You know my bias. It's on my sleeve. But I've criticized Obama's performances in the past and couldn't find a flaw tonight. A good closer, as I've been told for over a year now. You can say that again.

I agree!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sullivan? Hyperbole much. There were no knock out punches and the voters will decide.

Tempest in a teapot.  As noted, Obama said something to the effect of "from the highest official to the lowest civil servant, I want government officials to know that they serve the American people."  I don't see any reason for offense unless the listener is already predisposed to take umbrage from Obama.  It's ridiculous to think that that was some sort of broadside on federal employees.

The undecided voters with the little dials on CNN seemed to go along with the consensus here.  Slight win for Clinton, by a 60-40 margin I think, but advantage to Obama on Iraq.

The audience response was the same as that of Democrats across the country: they're happy with their choice this year, but they don't want to have to make it.

I thought overall, his position tonight was still that of the challenger, and she was effectively the incumbent. Barack Obama needed to peel votes away from Clinton. He made some progress on the Iraq issue. But how many Democrats are still more concerned about Iraq than about anything else?

To the extent that the debate was a draw, it helps Clinton.

Why? Because holding his own wasn't enough. Obama's task tonight was to make the case that there were huge differences between them. Just holding his own and looking presidential was not enough -- he had to convince Democrats who like her that there's a reason she shouldn't be the party's nominee.

He clearly had command on the issue of Iraq. Six months ago that would have been enough. Now? I'm not so sure. It took a while for the issue to take center stage tonight, and that's no accident: Other concerns have come to the forefront.

In all, it was an unhelpful debate. They minimized their differences. Tonight's showdown will rally Democrats, no question - but won't help them make a decision. The biggest applause line of the evening came for the idea of the two of them together.

The debate doesn't kill momentum for either one. But does it help build any? His strong showing could very well help Obama. But how much -- enough to overtake Clinton? I just didn't see that.

No one agrees on who won and who lost.  Let's call it a draw and call it a night.

She didn't handle that one well and Obama hit it home.  If that gets the airplay, Obama will benefit greatly.

I think that as long as the economy falls further and further into recession, it only benefits Clinton (just like in '92).

One of the most impressive things that Clinton said (a few weeks ago, not in any debate) was that she would ditch the contractors and replace them with civil servants.  Thats HUGE.  That's really 'getting it'

I'm an Edwards supporter but I have to say her statement about contractors told me that she has a deep understanding of what makes good government.

Bush has done great damage to the departments and agencies of the executive branch.  These are agencies that effect people's day to day lives.

Her declaration tells me that she's acutely aware of the damage and means to fix it.

No one has ever bothered to mention that her experience reaches beyond 7 years in the Senate and her time hanging around the White House and the state house.  She was also an attorney on the joint committee that investigated Watergate during the Nixon years.  She's seen government from a lower level as well as the higher level.

She has an understanding of the importance of policy and a passion that is totally lacking in Obama. He was reluctant at the start to commit to any sort of policy agenda and even now at this stage is uncomfortable discussing policy matters.

No offense to Obama and his followers but there really is no comparison between the two.  Clinton is in a completely different league.

I just don't think that Obama's ready for prime time. He needs more time, more study, more experience.  He's young (he has a 15 year shelf life of presidential opportunity) and would benefit from at least one full term in the Senate and perhaps should consider running for Governor of Illinois at the earliest opportunity.