Iowa Independent: The Boys Catch Up; It's Obama's Morning

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama showed this morning why he's in the presidential race with his best debate performance to date, one in which he commanded details, looked Oval Office ready and effectively made the case that he is indeed the candidate of true change -- and that instead of polarizing GOP voters in the fall of 2008 he may be able to pick off some of them.
Obama gained the most ground of any of the candidates in the debate.

This was Obama's morning in large part because he exceeded expectations after having lackluster days on the stage in previous debates. Those of us in Iowa, out on the campaign trail, saw more of the Obama that has energized and even electrified some crowds.

Want a change? "I'm your guy," said Obama.

"We're going to need someone to break out of the political pattern we've been in the last 20 years," Obama said.

Seen through an Iowa lens, Obama pulled points for talking about capping subsidies to large ag-business to help the family farm. His was the most specific agriculture answer.
Obama flipped the script on an early debate attack on his foreign policy posturing with a folksy one-liner, joking that he had prepared for the Drake University-hosted ABC News debate by riding in bumper cars at the Iowa State Fair. He then noted that he had the "strength" to go toe-to-toe with dictactors -- a nice finessing of criticism of his alleged lack of experience in foreign policy.

Hillary Clinton filed another strong performance but the boys caught up to her. The Grand Dame of the Democratic slate didn't own the stage as she had in past debates.