DEBATE IN SC

Quick takes:

--Kerry did a bang-up job in this debate, a calm and collected frontrunner. I agree with Ezra that Kerry's speaking style has much improved. And oh by the way, his forehead looked great. But before you say the B-word, remember that this was a highly-visible television event, and all the candidates were likely wearing some degree of foundation makeup so their faces didn't look flat or lifeless on camera.

--Edwards was very, very good, and will probably hold on in South Carolina. His stuff on the job issue and the medical malpractice issue was very impressive.

--Dean looked like a man whose heart simply wasn't in it. He sounded tired, unhappy, and almost as if he was mailing it in. Hopefully he'll have his speechmaking ability back up to par when he delivers the keynote address at the convention. (sigh)

--Clark held his own, but wasn't wholly impressive. Kerry and Edwards still do a much better job at giving substantive answers, and it's a little late in the game at this point for him to be at this point on the learning curve in debates.

--Sharpton was solid, and landed a good set of zingers.

--Kucinich thinks he's the Trojan horse of a hypothetical brokered convention. I love you man, but . . . riiiiiight...

--Lieberman is still in the campaign for some reason. He really must be smoking something. In that respect, he'd have a better chance running for president of Joemaica.

--Brokaw was a decent moderator, aside from frequently having to be corrected for mischaracterizing various issues and positions.

Back late tonight maybe...