The Post-Debate Spin Scramble

It's tough to get your point across in quick sound bites when there are eight candidates on the stage. Even though I'm blogging for Bill, I won't tell you that Bill Richardson *clearly* won, but he made some very good points. I felt that, overall, Richardson, Biden and Dodd made the most headway and are now better known. The "Big Three" probably didn't really gain any ground on one another. The same can be said for the bottom tier, both of whom were very aggressive in attacking the others, but I don't think that strategy was very effective for either of them.

For some "punditology" on the debates that you wouldn't necessarily run into on your own if you just hang out at the big sites, try this one from an Iowa columnist who hit it on the head a lot better than the MSNBC crew, who seem entranced by the "Big Three." That article agrees with my assessment that it was the Gov, Dodd and Biden who made the most gains last night. And if you don't mind some saltier language, try this one from a generally pro-Richardson political blogger who gives you some live, random, often critical thoughts on each of the candidates and their performances last night. For an even saltier, harsher take, there's the always amusing Wonkette's liveblog as well. And, finally, for a viewpoint that is even more positive than my own on Governor Richardson's performance, try this one from CNS News.