Because there was so little of it last night, let me set some minimum standard of honesty: I could not do two hours of the CNN debate from New Hampshire.

It's not that I couldn't stand watching Democrats for two hours - I can sit and make fun of Hillary Clinton for two weeks at a time - I just found the posturing and obscuring of the truth infinitely enervating.

See how I write when I listen to those people? It's ALL THEIR FAULT.

Speaking of which, the Democrats blamed everything on George W. Bush from the war to global warming to rising health care costs to the microphones in the hall not working properly which may be a strategic blind alley.

Being the most anti-Bush candidate isn't going to matter when the primaries/caucuses start because Bush isn't going to be on the ballot. Democrats will find that they will have run against a Republican nominee who is equally anti-Bush.

Top Line: In the first hour, Edwards was the only one who I thought might change some voters' views.

Edwards did what I suggested he would do on CNN Friday afternoon with Wolf and Paul Begala: He made it clear that he was the strongest of the top tier candidates on his anti-war posture. He might have gotten some people in New Hampshire who had not paid much attention to him to think about taking a second look.

It appeared to me that Edwards has decided that Obama is not a long-term player and he is going directly after Hillary.

Hillary Clinton has now figured out a formulation - five years after the fact - as to why she voted for the initial Iraq resolution: It had nothing to do with sending troops; it had everything to do with sending � inspectors.

?

People who thought she was full of it before, still think so. People who think she hung the moon, went out, looked up and were reassured that it was still there � and thanked her. That's not enough for Hillary. she is

Obama stumbled and fumbled again on the homeland security question when he was asked if - in the context of the JFK plot and there having been no attacks against the US since 9/11 - the Bush Administration had done a good job.

"No," was his answer and then he spun off into another direction. Another example of his astonishing lack of depth.

Obama also said - in effect - that his vote against the Iraq funding bill last week was a political statement. That was a stunning admission and requires further examination by the popular press.

Free Advice: Someone has to tell Hillary not to laugh. It frightened Titus the Wonder Dog and I assume there were thousands of children all across this great nation of ours who slept with their parents last night in fear that "THAT LADY" would come into their rooms and hit them with that laugh.

At 8:00 o'clock when CNN broke to reset the stage it was telling, I think that the Turner Classic Movie channel started the film "The Wizard of Oz."

Hillary, laughing, sounded a great deal like the Wicked Witch of Wherever. All that was missing from Hillary's laughs was her saying, "and your little dog ... Titus, too!"

I thought Gov. Bill Richardson was over-prepped to talk about the fact that he is the Governor of New Mexico and all the very excellent things which are going on there because of the wonderful things he does.

I thought Richardson was far better when he thought he had nothing to lose. Now that he thingk he is a serious candidate he wasn't nearly as charming nor nearly as believable.

Kiss Up Alert: Wolf Blitzer showed his confidence in being able to manage the flow without the use of - as he put it - flashing lights and loud bells. Although Mike Gravel will complain about his lack of time, I thought Blitzer did a very good job keeping the conversation lively.

I want to talk to some Democratic friends today and find out whether they thought, as I did, that this debate showed a certain lack of presidentiality (a word which I want to be cited for having invented) among the candidates.

The Democratic field is shrinking in stature right before our eyes.

I thought they looked like nothing more than a bunch of candidates for county school board at a pre-election Rotary Club lunch.

We'll see how much better - if any - the Republicans do on Tuesday night.