Barack Obama, John Edwards Strong in Democratic Debate; Hillary Clinton on the Defensive

Saturday night, the four major candidates for the Democratic Presidential Nomination sat down in Manchester, New Hampshire to a debate. It was less than civil.

Bill Richardson said at one point that he had been to hostage negotiations that were more civil than the debate.

Amid the jabs and attacks, Barack came out the clearest winner with Edwards tagging along. Hillary was on the defensive all night and came off a bit weaker, while Richardson failed to impress at all.

The Good - Barack Obama and John Edwards

Barack seemed to make the strongest case for himself at the Democratic debate. He referred several times to his win in Iowa, emphasizing that people were looking for change and that they had selected him at the caucus to make that change.

He repeated his standard claim that he would change the dialogue of politics in Washington, bring bi-partisanship, and enhance transparency in the government. He also seemed to be trying to steal Edwards thunder a bit by repeatedly claiming that he would fight special interests. His claims were less passionate than Edwards, but he was just as persistent.

Edwards also came off looking good. He hammered home his usual message - he would fight, passionately, to cut special interests out of government. He said he would fight for the middle class of America - referencing his own family's working class roots. He referenced his father's credentials as a true working-class man on more than one occasion.

Although Edwards came out strong with his message, he was also purposeful in his attacks on Clinton. When she made a veiled attack at Barack and Edwards, he claimed that when a person calls for change the agents of status quo will always attack. He also came to the defense of Barack throughout the debate - clearly making the choice that he would side with Obama and attempt to tear down Hillary Clinton's debate.

The Bad

Clinton seems to have come out the loser in the night. Although she wasn't necessarily weak in the debate, she seemed to be on the defensive. She was under attack by Edwards, and she kept flinging attacks back at both Edwards and Obama. She seemed to be working harder to tear down her opponents than build up her own campaign at this point.

She attempted to portray herself as an agent of change, in an effort to water down the message of Obama and Edwards. According to Clinton, she has exemplified change in her thirty plus years of service. She claimed that she had both the experience to get things done and the credentials to show that she would enact change when she became president.

It seemed clear that she was coming off a defeat in the Iowa Caucus and that she was desperately trying to fight off another loss in the New Hampshire primary. The poll quoted during the debate put Clinton and Obama neck and neck - and she seemed cognizant of it throughout the night Saturday.

The Ugly

Bill Richardson simply continued to tout his own resume. He repeatedly asked when experience became a bad thing, and suggested that he had far more experience than the other three candidates.

Despite his experience, he was inconsequential throughout the debate. He was left out of the attacks from Edwards and Clinton, and he never seemed to carry the debate for himself. For most of the night, Richardson seemed to be a third wheel to the major showdown - Barack and Edwards vs. Clinton.

Bottom Line

Barack Obama is coming off a win in the Iowa Caucus, and he successfully maintained that momentum through the New Hampshire debates. Without any glaring errors, it seems likely that he'll make a strong showing in the primary. He's no shoe-in to win the vote, but he certainly made a strong case Saturday night.

Clinton, on the other hand, was on the defensive and her position in the polls may continue to fall. Edwards' strong performance could help him in the eyes of liberal democrats, but his passion may be a turn off for the more moderate independent voters. Richardson put forth a lackluster performance, and will probably not garner many votes in the primary.