JimV.com: Thoughts on the CNN/Youtube Debate

I found the contention that "regular Americans" were asking the questions was annoying. Beyond the fact that people who have the capacity to shoot and upload video to YouTube are certainly economically above average, bloggers are a good deal more narcissistic than most regular Americans.
While Obama came across the most presidential of all the candidates, I'm concerned that he's not battle tested as a candidate. His run for senate was largely uncontested. I reject the conventional wisdom that he's superficial, however. Leadership is about conveying a vision, not ticking off policy bullet points. The last thing in the world Democrats need is another John Kerry debating a Mitt Romney or, god forbid, Fred Thompson.
The debate would have been a lot better had it just been between Edwards, Clinton and Obama. I really like Kucinich and Richardson, but their chances at getting the nomination are only slightly above Gravel's.
My favorite question, and response was this one. The difference between Obama and Clinton's responses, for me, underscores the difference between the candidates.
My favorite policy question and response was this one. I actually fear that Bush's decision to isolate our "enemies" may have caused as much damage as our invasion of Iraq. Obama seems to get it. Interestingly, this also highlighted the difference between Obama and Clinton.

JimV.com