Last Democratic Debate?

A remarkable series of debates between the Democratic candidates began ten months ago with eight hopefuls on a South Carolina stage. The marathon came down to the final two contenders seated this evening at a table in the theater of snow-covered Cleveland State University. Was this the last act of a long-running drama? Yes, I think it was. The next such exchange of views will have to wait until six months from now, when John McCain and Barack Obama will meet with the presidency itself on the line.

Tonight's debate opened with health care and moved to the NAFTA trade pact. It then got into foreign policy and campaign tactics. It ended with an interesting question about each candidate's greatest regret. There was ample scope for Hillary Clinton and Obama to tout the strengths of their respective philosophies and policy points and to poke holes in each other's. As always, they both came across as extremely formidable debaters and candidates. But it was Clinton who needed to score a major coup to puncture the momentum Obama has been riding since mid-December, and this she was unable to do.

Hillary's plan was to stand as a resolute and tenacious fighter for average Americans. She would open by pinning Obama down on the differences between their health plans, a contrast she was certain would rebound to her benefit. From there she would make the experience argument once more, dazzle with her grasp of the intricacies of foreign and domestic policy, and close with an appeal to women. She had to stay on the offensive as much as possible without going over the line and seeming too mean. She did a good job on all counts, only once coming across as peevish by complaining about having to go first in the questioning too often.

Barack's plan was to demonstrate a credible mastery of policy details while referencing his "post-partisan" approach. Just as important would be his tone. He would appear unflappable and presidential, defending his positions, counterattacking softly and being as gracious as the exchanges allowed. He agreed with Clinton many times, complimenting her positions and minimizing their differences on health care. He would draw sharp contrasts only on her vote to authorize war with Iraq and on her NAFTA views, an issue of great import to their Ohio audience. It almost seemed as though his primary purpose was to heal rifts among Democrats in preparation for the general election.

When asked their greatest regret it was refreshing to see the candidates actually answer the question. Most politicians tend to dodge questions like that or mention a strength instead of a regret, such as saying they "work too hard" or some such tripe. Instead, Clinton foursquarely pointed to her Iraq authorization vote and Obama castigated himself for not standing stronger against congressional intervention in the Teri Schiavo right-to-die case. Good for them. It speaks well of self-honesty in both cases.

In the end, Clinton complimented Obama, summed up about her willingness to fight for those forgotten during the last seven years and touched on the historic implications of having a woman's perspective in the leadership role. Obama lauded Clinton even more highly but returned to his main theme that perhaps we have seen too much fighting and that he was the candidate best suited to bring the country together.

Clinton may have helped herself a little but Obama probably helped himself more. Every successive time he shows himself qualified to serve he removes more doubts about his being simply a gifted speaker without presidential gravitas. Some polls already show Obama having caught up in Texas and within five points in Ohio, and nothing that happened tonight is likely to alter his rising trajectory. Barring a stunning change of fortunes Hillary Clinton's realistic hopes of being the first woman to gain the presidential nomination of a major political party in the United States have exactly one week to live.