John Edwards Wins MSNBC Democratic Debate

This isn't my opinion, although I share it after finishing watching the debate last night.  Edwards clearly won the debate.

So says reviewers from the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, MSNBC, live news bloggers from numerous other organizations, and many others... see for yourself!

The New Republic’s Noam Scheiber: Edwards Was Forceful, Controlled and Reasonable. “He came out of the gate taking issue with what he described as Clinton's willingness to leave combat troops in Iraq for the indefinite future. And, in perhaps his best moment of the debate, he warned that Clinton's vote on a Joe Lieberman-sponsored Senate resolution targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guard represented a serious lapse in judgment. But, despite his forcefulness, Edwards came off as controlled and reasonable. The Clinton campaign has taken to dismissing Edwards's increasingly strident attacks as acts of desperation. ‘Usually people have an aggressive attack strategy because they're falling rather than gaining’ in the polls, was how Clinton strategist Mark Penn explained it during the post-game session. But there wasn't much trace of desperation in Edwards strikes tonight. On the Iran vote, for example, he didn't trash Hillary as a Lieberman-style war-monger. He acknowledged that the resolution was substantively limited, but suggested that even a limited measure was risky given the administration it would empower. ‘I voted for this war in Iraq,’ Edwards said. ‘Senator Clinton also voted for this war. We learned a very different lesson from that. ... [W]hat I learned in my vote on Iraq was you cannot give this president the authority and you can't even give him the first step in that authority because he cannot be trusted.’
 -- [ http://www.tnr.com/blog/the_plank?pid=146891 , 9/27/07]

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews: In Edwards, “Clinton Finally Has a Rival;” Edwards Was “Dead Right” to Raise Differences with Clinton on Iraq Votes. “Well, I think a couple things tonight I thought was interesting, that finally Hillary Clinton has a rival. If thought that John Edwards came in tonight with a clear strategy. Now, you were moderating and you had to notice that that on two occasions you asked the questions that exposed and he helped this exposure of his difference with her … Edwards challenged her on two fronts, on Iran and on Iraq and when he said her vote today in the senate resolving that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization is another one of these pretext to wars, another one of these steps like the Iraqi liberation act that will be used at some point to say the president has the justification to attack. I thought that Edwards was dead right in raising that.”
 -- [MSNBC, 9/26/07]

Wall Street Journal’s John Harwood: Edwards Was “Effective,” “Specific” and “Hit the Populist Note” in Differentiating Himself from Clinton on Tax Policy. John Harwood commented on Edwards’ answer on how to address Social Security taxes, “Well, here’s why that moment was effective for John Edwards, Carl. First of all, he hit the populist note. He talked about all those people, and there are a good number of them now in our economy, who make $50 million or more a year. We need to raise their taxes on Social Security was his argument. Secondly – you have that populism – secondly, he talked about protecting the middle class. Third, he was very specific and that was a big contrast with Hillary Clinton. Rather amazingly she completely ducked that question and Tim Russert was trying to press her on what she would do to shore up Social Security. She said I’m not going to negotiate with myself, I’m going to not put anything on or off the table. That may not cut it in the general election. When you’re asking the American people to support you, you need to give them some sort of idea about what you’re going to be for.” 
 -- [CNBC, 9/27/07]

Boston Globe: Edwards’ “Smooth Performance Last Night Could Further Establish Him as a Progressive Alternative to Clinton.” “Clinton didn't see it that way. Designating the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, she said, ‘gives us the options to be able to impose sanctions on the primary leaders to try to begin to put some teeth into all this talk about dealing with Iran.’ It seemed reasonable enough - until former North Carolina senator John Edwards reminded viewers that giving the president leverage was Clinton's justification for supporting the resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. Edwards, too, had made that argument at the time. But, he said: ‘We learned a very different lesson from that. I have no intention of giving George Bush the authority to take the first step on a road to war with Iran.’ Edwards's views probably resonated with Democrats who are, above all else, distrustful of Bush. And his smooth performance last night could further establish him as a progressive alternative to Clinton.” 
 -- [ “Clinton lacking the emotion of her base,” Boston.com, 9/27/07]

Salon.com’s Joan Walsh Said Edwards “Made a Strong Impression” and Named Edwards the Winner of the Debate. Chris Matthews posed the question, “Who won tonight’s debate?” and Salon.com’s Walsh responded, “I think Edwards made a strong impression and I think he pushed her [Senator Hillary Clinton] back, he brushed her back a little bit. So I would go with Edwards.” 
 -- [MSNBC, 9/26/07]

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman: Edwards Showed He Is Ready to Be “the Main Challenger” Versus Clinton. “10:47 -- I gotta go back out to the Dartmouth Green for Hardball. I go with the tentative conclusion (unless something spectacular happens in the last 10 minutes) that Obama didn't do much for himself, that Hillary didn't hurt herself and that Edwards showed that if Obama isn’t going to be the main challenger, he is ready to be.” 
 -- [ http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2007/09/26/fineman-debate-live-blog.aspx , 9/26/07]

NBC's Chuck Todd: “Edwards Stood Out to Me,” “It Was One of His Better Performances.” “Of the candidates chasing Clinton, Edwards stood out to me. He seemed to realize he needed to prove contrast with Clinton on just about every answer he gave. It was one of his better performances. The guy is getting his William Jennings Bryan schtick down pat.”
 -- [ “Some Quick Post-game Take-aways” MSNBC, 9/26/07]

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman: “Edwards Has Emerged So Far the Most Forceful Challenger To” Clinton. “From where I sit, Edwards has emerged so far the most forceful challenger to her (other than Tim Russert).” 
 -- [ http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2007/09/26/fineman-debate-live-blog.aspx , 9/26/07]

Marc Ambinder: “Victory for JRE,” “Edwards Was Straightforward, Confident, Clear.” Edwards was Edwards on Centrum Silver: straightforward, confident, clear, knowledgeable, thoroughly encased in his own frame. Ying to the yang of both Obama and Clinton; If you’re new to nomination politics, then you’d think Edwards – and not Obama – was Hillary Clinton’s main foil. The war. Social Security. Health care. Campaign ethics. Clinton didn't take the punch, but she did move to dodge them, which is a victory for JRE. 
 -- [ “Edwards, Clinton Spats Sound Out” The Atlantic, 9/26/07]

ABC’s Rick Klein: “Edwards May Have Done Himself the Most Good Tonight.” “11:02 pm: Quick thoughts -- Hillary Clinton benefits whenever no one else distinguishes himself, and Edwards may have done himself the most good tonight. Obama squeezed in one good line, but I don't see that as enough for the evening.” 
 -- [ http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/09/live-blogging-d.html , 9/26/07]

NBC's Domenico Montanaro: Edwards Was “More Presidential” and “Looked Poised.” “Edwards looked poised in following up on his answer. Not angry or frustrated as we've seen him before, more presidential.” 
 -- [ “Edwards Pointing Out Differences” MSNBC, 9/26/07]

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman: “Edwards Then Hits It out of the Park,” “Wins the Round” on Social Security. “Edwards then hits it out of the park, talking about a ‘protective zone’ of income between $97,500 and $200,000. His proposals sounded carefully thought through—whether you agree with it or not—and was much more specific than what Obama had to say on the topic. Hillary is talking too much about what her ‘husband’ did; she isn't being specific enough—Edwards wins the round.”
 -- [ http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2007/09/26/fineman-debate-live-blog.aspx , 9/26/07]

NBC’s Athena Jones: Edwards Gets a “Whoop” for Promising to End Health Insurance for Congress if No Universal Health Care. “A whoop here for Edwards' promise to cut off health insurance coverage for members of Congress if they don't pass health care by July 2009.”
 -- [ “Edwards health care reaction” MSNBC, 9/26/07]

ABC’s Rick Klein: “Edwards Is the First to Draw Real Distinctions About” on Iraq. “9:07 pm: I'm ready to give the Big Three credit for intellectual honesty by saying troops will have to remain in Iraq for some years. But John Edwards is the first to draw real distinctions about what to do going forward. This won't be the last time he finds a way to set himself apart.”
 -- [ http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/09/live-blogging-d.html , 9/26/07]

NBC's Domenico Montanaro: “Edwards Is Pressing the Distinctions with Clinton.” “Edwards is pressing the distinctions with Clinton. He said they had learned different things on their war vote and said this Iran vote was indicative of that. Will it matter? Edwards clearly wants to put her on the defensive. So far, he's the only one.” 
 -- [ “Edwards Pressing” MSNBC, 9/26/07]

NBC’s Chuck Todd: “Edwards Seems on His Game Tonight.” “It's VERY early but Edwards seems on his game tonight.”
 -- [ “Edwards Came To Debate With A Plan?” MSNBC, 9/26/07]

ABC’s Rick Klein: “I'd Give Edwards a Slight Edge in Making His Points and Making Them Solidly.” 10:05 pm
 -- [ http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/09/live-blogging-d.html , 9/26/07]

ABC’s Rick Klein: Edwards “Distinguished” Himself. “9:33 pm: One-fourth of the way in, Edwards and Richardson have distinguished themselves. If people were looking for a new, more aggressive Obama tonight, it doesn't look like they're going to get it.”
 -- [ http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/09/live-blogging-d.html , 9/26/07]

Chris Matthew Said Edwards Came with a “Clear Strategy” to Differentiate Himself from Hillary Clinton. Chris Matthews said, “Senator John Edwards was one who came out with a clear strategy to differentiate himself from Hillary Clinton on the issue of combat troops in Iraq and U.S. military action potentially against Iran.”
-- [MSNBC, 9/26/07]

The New Republic’s Noam Scheiber: Edwards Was Forceful, Controlled and Reasonable. “He came out of the gate taking issue with what he described as Clinton's willingness to leave combat troops in Iraq for the indefinite future. And, in perhaps his best moment of the debate, he warned that Clinton's vote on a Joe Lieberman-sponsored Senate resolution targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guard represented a serious lapse in judgment. But, despite his forcefulness, Edwards came off as controlled and reasonable. The Clinton campaign has taken to dismissing Edwards's increasingly strident attacks as acts of desperation. ‘Usually people have an aggressive attack strategy because they're falling rather than gaining’ in the polls, was how Clinton strategist Mark Penn explained it during the post-game session. But there wasn't much trace of desperation in Edwards strikes tonight. On the Iran vote, for example, he didn't trash Hillary as a Lieberman-style war-monger. He acknowledged that the resolution was substantively limited, but suggested that even a limited measure was risky given the administration it would empower. ‘I voted for this war in Iraq,’ Edwards said. ‘Senator Clinton also voted for this war. We learned a very different lesson from that. ... [W]hat I learned in my vote on Iraq was you cannot give this president the authority and you can't even give him the first step in that authority because he cannot be trusted.’”
 -- [ http://www.tnr.com/blog/the_plank?pid=146891 , 9/27/07]

New York Times’ Katharine Seelye: Edwards Was “More Impassioned than Mr. Obama and More Eager to Make a Mark.” “Mr. Edwards, by contrast, seemed more impassioned than Mr. Obama and more eager to make a mark. He addressed the criticism that he had taken money from a hedge fund that had taken advantage of Katrina victims by instructing Mr. Russert to look at the arc of his whole life. He also noted that he had established a fund to help Katrina victims whose homes were being foreclosed.”
 -- [ http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/post-debate-wrap-up/, 9/27/07]

AP: The Associated Press reported, “Edwards makes distinction.” The AP continued, “Edwards said his pxosition on Iraq was different from Obama and Clinton, adding he would ‘immediately drawn down 40,000 to 50,000 troops.’ That's roughly half the 100,000 that Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has indicated could be stationed there when President Bush's term ends in January 2009. Edwards sought to draw a distinction between his position and Clinton's, saying she had said recently she wants to continue combat missions in Iraq. ‘I do not want to continue combat missions in Iraq,’ he said.”
 -- [ "Edwards Makes Distinction" AP, 9/26/07]

Daily Kos Readers Declare Edwards the Winner. With more than 6,300 votes cast, DailyKos.com readers have declared John Edwards the winner of debate with 32% of the vote. Obama trailed with 19% of the vote and Clinton was third with 13%. [Daily Kos Poll, “who do you think won the debate?” accessed 10:15a.m. on 9/27/07]

NBC’s Tim Russert: Edwards Was “Carefully” and “Tactfully” Successful on Differentiating Himself from Clinton on the Issues. Asked if Edwards was successful at making a distinction between himself and Clinton, Tim Russert said, “Yeah, very carefully and I think tactfully, on issues, whether it was a difference on combat troops in Iraq, difference on health care, but it was all done, as you say, in a very surgical and delicate way.”
[NBC, “Today,” 9/27/07]