
Relied on his early opposition to the war in Iraq to fight off an attack from Chris Dodd, but compounded his "experience" problem by rambling about foreign policy at times. If, as many think, he is not benefiting from all the focus on his national security credibility, then he had some bad moments. Referenced renegotiating NAFTA with a Canadian "president," which, in his case, counts as a conspicuous gaffe. Dodged a question about what to do should al-Qaeda take over Iraq following American withdrawal. Other than over-employing his standard verbal tic punctuating his sentences with "Uhs" he was mostly cool and collected. Talked masterfully and accessibly about trade and international economics. At the stadium, much of the crowd was palpably rooting for him; but on TV he didn't fully benefit from the Chicago home-field advantage.
By Mark Halperin
As a testament to his suddenly strong position in the battle for the GOP nomination, says Mark Halperin, the Senator showed off all of his worst traits -- and still easily beat back Mitt Romney's desperate efforts to knock him off his perch
Mitt has a moment -- just when he needed one. But for the rest of the field, it was a snooze-fest of missed opportunities
Analysis: Any dreams of a Clinton-Obama ticket were probably ended after their testiest encounter yet. Mark Halperin gives Obama the edge
John McCain acted the confident frontrunner, Mike Huckabee was the regular guy, and Fred Thompson played attack dog. Mark Halperin scores the South Carolina debate
Mark Halperin grades the candidates in their last joint appearance
The tone was upbeat, the sparks few in the last Democratic encounter before Super Tuesday. Mark Halperin reviews both performances
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