Who Did Well, Who Did Not

August 20, 2007— -- DES MOINES — One of the big questions going into Sunday's debate among the Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa was whether Hillary Clinton can win the November election.

That question still hangs over the race today. Clinton swatted at it with answers she's used before but she failed to conclusively knock it down.

After a string of strong debate performances so far in the campaign, Clinton seemed a little off her game at ABC-TVs gathering Sunday morning.

That may be understandable, given that candidates had to get up around 4 a.m. in order to be at Drake University for the 8 a.m. program. The network asked me to ask a few questions and afterwards Barack Obama pulled me aside and said: "Let's do this again, but let's do it a little later in the day.") But the Sunday sunrise nature of the event didn't stop some of the others from having strong performances. Obama may be the biggest winner.

He was in the cross hairs for much of the early part of the session and he stood up well to the scrutiny over his foreign policy positions and questions of whether he's qualified to be president.

He came off as knowledgeable and temperate. He looked presidential and unlike some of his earlier, halting debate performances, was much more polished and laid back in this one. At one point he joked: "To prepare for this debate, I rode the bumper cars at the State Fair." Bill Richardson also had a good morning, turning in his best debate of the campaign. So did Joe Biden.

Those two engaged in a lively exchange over the question of how fast to get out of Iraq. All the Democratic candidates want to leave, the question is how and it was elucidating to see Richardson, a former UN ambassador, and Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argue the matter.

Most Democrats are emotionally with Richardson? let's get the heck out now? but many also understand Biden's point that getting out quickly may be impossible and could lead to bigger problems.