THE LATEST DEBATE

I watched all three hours and can say that everyone on the stage had at least one moment I could applaud or even cheer. But also most of them had moments that bugged me. I'll vote for whoever wins the nomination anyway. But here's my short take on this debate.

Sanders gave us classic Bernie lines and passion and energy. Looked good.

Biden showed why a lot of older African-Americans and white blue-collar men like him. He still has what I call political charisma at times. But his language glitches and fumbles are growing more frequent.

Warren fielded the most incoming and for my taste handled it all with her usual schoolmarm/professorial charm and poise. (The moderators and a few candidates kept trying to get her to say the phrase "I will raise taxes," but she knows any candidate who says that will be hearing that soundbite for the rest of the campaign and will lose, so she made her point repeatedly that her plan will lower overall costs for working folks etc.)

Klobuchar did her best yet, I'd say. Clever at times, tough at times, but also shaky at times.

Booker may have done his best yet as well, and won the not-demeaning-other-candidates medal.

Castro seems to have less and less political charisma the more debates he takes part in, unfortunately.

O'Rourke's moment has come and gone, too often he looks like an ambitious child among adults, despite his good positions on some policies.

Harris still has impressive moments, where her intellect and experience make her seem the toughest and smartest debater on stage, but she also always has a moment of too obviously thinking she's clever when she actually seems mean.

Gabbard is still the most mysterious, which adds to her attractiveness but at times comes across as on the wrong drug or in the wrong cult. Not meaning to sound so snide, but at times she just seems like she's almost unaware of what's actually going on.

Steyer was a pleasant surprise to me. I liked pretty much everything he said, but he definitely doesn't have the kind of political charisma necessary to win.

Yang said some great things but seemed disconnected from the wider world of experience and reality and more like an ambassador from techville.

Buttigieg scored in the eyes of the TV pundits, but not mine. For the first time I saw his manipulative and even cold side and didn't find it reassuring.

That said, any of them will still make a better president than the present one.