The instant react: Despite the fact Hillary Clinton and John Edwards both advanced their own causes at CNN’s debate tonite at St. Anselm’s College in Manchester, NH, Barack Obama probably came out the best.
Obama “won” in this viewer’s opinion because he projected so much more gravitas than in the last major debate, in which Hillary Clinton’s personna, professionalism and bigger time experience dwarfed the Illinois Senator.
Overall, this was just one more example of Hillary, Edwards and Obama demonstrating why they’re the top tier. All three walk away with a good performance, but Obama showed more than just flash tonite. It wasn’t just his confident overall presentation, he looked more at ease doing so; as the camera is already good to him, a solid, confident appearance takes him even farther in this important context of stagecraft and optics.