For the FIRST time I am worried about Hillary's performance...

I like her and I will vote for her but last night was not a good performance for her. Looked like she was trying to "run out the clock" and play defense. I know it is kinda difficult when everyone is attacking you but that comes with being the front runner.

If this is just a blip then she will be ok. However, it DID give hope to the others that she is not unbeatable. Like blood in the water.

I am very curious what the pundits will be saying this week. They already seem to be bashing her. Let's see what she counters with.

and all the critics.

We cannot rip each other to shreds and then let the enemy slip in under the checker flag.

Folks need to realize this.

and they are looking for anything to energize their Republican base.

Once hardly anyone in America knew who Howard Dean was, but they learned how to "energize their base" against him pretty quickly and until the 2008 extended election season kicked off Howard was their hate pooster child (as DNC Chair) for a year or so there. Many Americans had heard of John Kerry before he ran in 2004, but didn't know very much about him. But Republicans invented an entire new termonology; "Swiftboating", for how they energized their base over Kerry, and they used Kerry's muffed joke about Bush to energize their base again leading up to the 2006 vote. More important than who the Republicans can use to energize their base is what type of shields the Democratic Candidate has to deal with the hatred thrown at them. If they are porous we are in trouble. If they are finely polished to reflect laser beams right back at who ever beams them in attack, the Democrat will win.

Give me a break!

and we are going to rip the republicans, too.

All I am saying is we need to understand that a certain danger does exist when we rip our own too hard. Honest disagreement is one thing but there is a line, however fine, that does not need to be crossed.

That's the one thing that impresses me about Hillary Clinton. She is unflappable. If anybody can take the heat, it's her.

it's definitely not as bad as people are making it out to be.

I also think her main misstep was stumbling on the driver's license issue, but I don't think she stumbled because others were going after her, I think she just tripped a little on her own. It happens to everybody sometime, even the usually-unflappable Hillary. :)

Hillary needs to have more often. :)

Then he wouldn't even have to try to up his game. :)

and to think that it was mostly her own doing - funny, how hubris and believing too many of your own press releases will NOT prepare someone for legitimate "where is it exactly that you stand" queries

because they will unload everything they have at her. I mean it will be unreal what they try to come up on her.

She better be able to handle what is coming if she is the nominee.

Mark my words.

The Republicans will do that against anyone we nominate. While they have had more time to practice offense against Hillary, she has had more practice learning Judo to counter them. It can be argued either way which ultimately will be more telling; their extensive experience flinging mud toward Hillary or Hillary's experience staying on track and on message through their mud storms (that of course is assuming our nominee is Clinton - I don't mean to be presumptious). None of our other potential candidates have as much combat experience against Republican slime as Hillary does.

GOP machine.

Because I'm a fan.

If you are a Hillary supporter, be glad she had a tough debate.

It's like when your team sails through the playoffs without much competition.

They are either a) unbeatable or b) very unprepared for the finals.

Even if she wins the nomination you want want her to have as much difficulty as she can handle without losing a lot of points, if she is your candidate.

Because otherwise her campaign will not be lean, mean and ready to deal with the GOP.

she has to go home and retool. And get..like you said..leaner.

that when it gets to a debate with only 2 others she may crack. they think she uses the time between all the candidates to get herself together for next question and when the time is not there she may crack. Thats what they talked about...