Post Debate Wrap, Part 3

It's not even midnight and the chattering political class has concluded the following about the first Democratic Presidential Debate:

1) Hillary won. Looked presidential. Nice answer on retaliating against a terror attack. Your colleagues followed your lead. That's why you are the frontrunner.

2) Obama fell flat. Blew the terror attack question by talking about first responders instead of hitting back hard. This guy's expectations were set so high it was bound to happen. And so it did.

3) Edwards needed a better showing for a guy in 3rd. And South Carolina is his territory! What the?

4) Biden separated himself from the lower-tier with his one-liner. Dodd and Richardson underwhelmed.

5) Gravel upstaged Kucinich. Who woulda thunk it?

Other notable quotes from the chattering class:

"Hey, is there any there there? Is this just a suit,?" said Commentator Pat Buchanan on Barack Obama's debate performance.

"I was very disappointed," said Joan Walsh of Salon.com on John Edwards.

"Clinton, Edwards and Obama have done what is required to get out of the first debate. Hillary Clinton should be the next Democratic nominee for president if she avoids big mistakes. Tonight she did," said MSNBC host Joe Scarborough.

"Commentators will say that Edwards and Obama looked uncomfortable at times. No one made any major errors. No one made any major advances," reported The Hotline.

"Mrs. Clinton, not surprisingly, seemed very prepared, the eager student determined to ace the test," wrote the New York Times Political Blog.

"Talk about tame," from Politics1.com.

"Clinton, who appeared relaxed and – without dazzling, or aiming to dazzle – in command of the facts, reminded the audience that she is a formidable frontrunner," wrote Ben Smith of The Politico. "Still, Obama seemed less at ease than his two leading rivals, and a senior aide, Robert Gibbs – while denying that perception – said the campaign “didn’t quite know what to expect of the format.”

"If it had been a radio debate, I think Chris Dodd would have won. He seemed to have the most substantive answers that fit the time available. I was underwhelmed by Obama. He didn't live up to the hype or his public image. Hillary didn't accomplish what she needed to do tonight, which is persuade people she's a likeable person. She still has time to do that, but she didn't make much progress tonight," said an anonymous Republican strategist as reported by National Review Online.

"The way it looked from here, Richardson came off as something of a buffoon," said an observer in the debate hall as reported by The Huffington Post.

"Obama started somewhat slowly but warmed to the task. Edwards was steady. Clinton was crisp and concise," wrote Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post.