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Just wanted to add some impressions on how I thought they all did with the caveat, as always, that my spouse works for Hillary Clinton. That said, here goes:

Obama--His best night in awhile. I still think he can be as gassy as John Kerry at times. His sentences have a lot of semicolons. But he got off a good shot at Hillary saying the time for asking questions of the pentagon was before the war. His eagerness to meet in person with the likes of Kim Jong Il was his weakest moment.

Biden--He continues to sound smart about Iraq, refusing to pander and say that the troops can be entirely removed (Richardson) or that we should cut off funding (everyone else). His line about the guy with a semiautomatic weapon was priceless. It was the first time I'd seen him discuss the death of his first wife.

Gravel--Light touch, very presidential--Not. Why does someone tossed out of the Senate 27 years ago feel a need to come back now?

Kucinich--Paleoleft. Nothing surprising or interesting to say.

Edwards--He does pretty well at these things but he looked like a jerk dissing Hillary's jacket (after showing a video, "What Matters," making fun of the controversy surrounding his $400 haircut. His answer on gay marriage seemed convoluted.

Clinton--Always seems the best prepared and did well. Occasional false moments like when she implored Anderson Cooper to talk more about energy independence.

Dodd--I always thought he'd shine in the debates because he's such a good orator. Not seeing it so much this time.

Richardson--He always does pretty well at these, seeming reasonable and energetic but he didn't really shake up the race.

For the group, on the upside is that they seem in touch with the American weariness in Iraq while the GOP candidates seem totally out of touch. And the diversity of the candidates makes the Republicans look stiffer. Ever seen an all male news anchor team? It doesn't happen anymore. People are used to seeing at least a token woman or minority at any event public life. On the other hand, the Dems only occasionally talked tough about Al Qaeda and I'm not sure their uniform insistence of having women enter Selectice Service will wear well after awhil.