And They're Off.....

"I see a bunch of winners," was Delaware's Sen. Joe Biden's description of his fellow Democratic presidential candidates at the end of their ninety-minute appearance on MSNBC.

But, the format.... it was disappointing. Every candidate was not asked the same question, thus taking it out of the realm of "debate" and into the realm of "show and tell." Moderator Brian Williams was so determined to get through his laundry list of queries that he even resorted to a non-informative show of hands at times.

The evening's winner in my opinion was Biden. He also gets the evening's gold star for having and intelligently articulating the most detailed strategy for Iraq. He also receives the Ipana Smile Award.... you almost expect that little ping of light when he flashes his big grin. I was impressed with his presentation and am definitely going to give him a fresh look... "Yes."

The loser in my opinion was Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico. He was missing the "fire in the belly" and didn't live up to his advance billing as a likable communicator. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I thought he left his personality at home.

And, in his rambling and panderingly-incoherent answer regarding the poor job performance of Attorney General Gonzales, he admitted he tried to cut Gonzales slack because he was a friend and Hispanic. We don't need another "friends of George" president. Richardson seemed out of shape, mentally and physically.

The award for best trophy wife definitely goes to anti-war Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. That tall red-headed beauty on the stage after the debate is his Mrs. However, he lost his verbal bomb-throwing standing to former senator Mike Gravel of Alaska.

The bomb Gravel was throwing last night was atomic, asking a too-scripted Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.... "Tell me, Barack, who do you want to nuke?" Gravel's bull-in-the-china-shop antics, while at times comic, detracted from the already squeezed time frame allotted for discussion.

Hillary wasn't Shrillary Clinton. New York's senator delivered a solid performance, showing to best effect her wonky tendencies. She remains a formidable candidate.

Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut isn't the president, but he could play one on TV. He speaks well, but on the issues he is Biden light. In the contest for the same voters, Biden wins.

That leaves just former senator John Edwards of North Carolina, the husband of the widely admired Elizabeth. He was strangely subdued. Perhaps trying to damp down his lawyer-like delivery. He didn't lose, and he didn't win. He showed up.

And there you have it, my take on last night's proceedings.

Next week we'll see ten Republicans in the same format. A "stubborn" Bush was the focus of a united front of opposition from the Democrats to his Iraq misadventure. Will the GOP rush to The Decider's defense? Or, will it be "George who?" Stay tuned....