Obama fingers a ‘gotcha’ debate  —  Sen. Barack Obama was on the stump today in Raleigh, N.C., the day after his debate in Philadelphia with Sen. Hillary Clinton.  Have a look at his body language when he spoke of the sort of debate it was — a “gotcha” fest — and about Clinton being “in her element.”

How Obama Fell to Earth  —  Back in Iowa, Barack Obama promised to be something new — an unconventional leader who would confront unpleasant truths, embrace novel policies and unify the country.  If he had knocked Hillary Clinton out in New Hampshire and entered general-election mode early …

Dean: I need a decision ‘now’  —  (CNN)— An increasingly firm Howard Dean told CNN again Thursday that he needs superdelegates to say who they're for - and “I need them to say who they're for starting now.”  —  “We cannot give up two or three months of active campaigning and healing time …

George Stephanopoulos Responds To Obama, Defends Handling Of Debate  —  At some point amid the hailstorm of criticism that greeted ABC's handling of yesterday's Dem debate, moderator George Stephanopoulos received an email — one of the many, many missives about the debate he's received — from an Obama adviser.

Joe Scarborough Walks Off MSNBC's “Race To The White House” After Exchange With Rachel Maddow  —  “Joe didn't walk off.  He chose not to participate in the final couple of minutes of the discussion because he felt the conversation didn't fit his role as a political analyst.”  —  Previously:

HMMMM  —  Remember that woman from the debate last night who the moderators showed videotape of asking whether Barack Obama “believes in the flag”?  Her name is Nash McCabe.  —  I remember thinking it was sort of odd to have a couple one-off uses of ordinary voter questions when it didn't really seem like it was part of the format.

The Two Wars in Iraq & Mistaken Republican Support for Obama  —  [T]he root function of language is to control the universe by describing it.  —James Baldwin.  —  Bush screwed the pooch in Iraq.  There is a good argument to be made that we should not have invaded in the first place.

Newsmax/Zogby Poll: Clinton Edges Ahead in Pennsylvania  —  UTICA, New York - New York Democrat Hillary Clinton had a good day in the Newsmax/Zogby daily tracking poll ahead of Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary, following a strong debate performance in Philadelphia Wednesday night …

MoveOn's definition of “hurting the country”  —  Yes, it's true.  The left-wing anti-patriots at MoveOn.org, who didn't think twice about handing jihadists potent ammunition the day before the sixth anniversary of 9/11 with their despicable attack on Gen. Petraeus, are now worried about actions that “hurt the country.”

McCain readies unorthodox campaign  —  For reasons of financial necessity, personal preference and plain politics, John McCain is gearing up to run one of the least traditional presidential campaigns in recent history.  —  The problem is that even prominent strategists within McCain's own party wonder …

Bloomberg: Next president will be ‘adult’  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday that whoever wins the presidency in November, “at least we'll have an adult in office who can lead and accomplish something.”  —  During a question-and-answer session …

This horrible “debate”  —  As mentioned earlier, family concerns (my father) have trumped other concerns for quite a while.  Among various consequences, and in the cosmic sense a trivial one, is the list of items building up that I am looking for a chance to weigh in on …

Press secretary to the rescue  —  At 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, Lee Pitts, the spokesman for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), saw an unusual e-mail message pop up on the corner of his computer screen: “Please call 911 for me,” the subject line said.  —  Less than an hour earlier …

Superdelegates Unswayed by Clinton's Attacks  —  Throughout their contentious debate on Wednesday, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton tried again and again to put Senator Barack Obama on the defensive in a pointed attempt, her advisers say, to raise doubts about his electability among a small …