8:18pm: Gonna break from the capital gains tax talk to say I think HRC looks nice in tonight's teal jacket. The jacket seems a little "younger" than her normal jacket style. Don't know why.

8:17pm: Would the candidates raise the capital gains tax? Clinton says we're going to have to look and see. Obama says he would consider it.

8:13pm: No new taxes? Both candidates agree that they won't additionally tax people who make $200,000 or less. None of the candidates or the moderators could fit into that category.

8:05pm: We're getting meatier here. I know this because Clinton dropped the phrase "vis-a-vis", Latin for "as seen through" or something like that (that's what I take it to mean, anyway). Have you noticed that "vis-a-vis" is used A LOT in any discussion of foreign policy? I remember noticing this in college... and it continues.

8:00pm: Obama also stands by his pledge to get troops out, his timeframe is 16 months.
"The President sets the mission.. the General and our troops carry out that mission," Obama says.

7:56pm: Okay yay! We start talking about each candidate's Iraq withdrawal plans. Are they realistic?

"I will make it clear to the Iraqis that they no longer have a blank check from the President of the United States," Clinton says. "I will begin to withdraw troops within sixty days. I think it's important that this decision be made and I intend to make it."

7:54pm: Back from commercials. Wondering whether we're going to move on from electability and random associations with random people.

7:52pm: Regarding my point at 7:46pm. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks the insular sideshows the Washington media is obsessed with is ridiculous. Here's Marc Ambinder:

"If it's true that Democrats are fed up with the media and its coverage of these associations/word games/side shows....the backlash against this debate will be very big."

7:46pm:Even for this political junkie, the nonstop process questions are getting too much. How about some of the substantive issue discussions we're used to from previous debates? Those of us in the press are obsessed with the horse-race, how-to-beat-so-and-so questions, but are they relevant to a large population of voters?

7:42pm: Obama not-wearing a flag lapel pin comes up as an issue - whether the questions of his patriotism will "be a vulnerability".

Obama: "I have never said that I don't wear flag pins or refused to wear flag pins, this is an example of politics that distracts us..."

"I revere this country. There is no other country in which my story would be possible," he explains. "What I try to do is show my patriotism by how I treat Veterans, speaking forcefully about how we bring this war in Iraq to a close, how we restore a sense of economic fairness... "

7:41pm: Clinton gets a video question from a voter about the Bosnia misstatements and whether voters can trust her.

"I will either try to get more sleep," she said. "That happens when you talk as much as we talk, I'm very sorry."

7:37pm: About twenty minutes of Obama on the defensive over the Wright controversy and the "bitter" comments. Obama addresses the controversies by attributing this to the "old politics" he's trying to change - but does it answer questions in voters minds?

7:29pm: Tonight, we get the softer version of Hillary Clinton, instead of the attack dog Hillary Clinton. She's been making things about the Democratic party as a whole, and tempering her comments about how she "would have walked out" of church had she heard Rev. Wright's sermon.

7:27pm: Obama gets a question about why he didn't address Wright "getting kind of rough" way earlier, if he knew that Wright could get "kind of rough". Obama doesn't actually answer this question, instead talking about connecting with people.

7:20pm: The Clinton campaign has argued that Obama is not-electable, even though recent polling shows otherwise. So George asks Clinton whether Obama can win.

"Yes, yes, yes," Clinton said. But - "I am the better and stronger candidate."

7:17pm: Obama addresses the "bitter" comments made at at San Francisco fundraiser. Nothing new about his response, essentially standing by his "point" - which was that "we" often get into a debate about wedge issues instead of "what we HAVE TO address, like education"...

7:11pm: Clinton's gotten trained -- she doesn't jump first to answer a question that's directed to either of the candidates. (About why they don't run on the same ticket). This results in a funny pause whether neither candidate opts to go first. Obama eventually jumps at it.

7:09pm: First questions will be "constitution-themed", featuring a snippet from The Constitution as a hook for the questions.

7:06pm: Ooooh! They are standing. Standing debates seem to be more fiery. This is the first Clinton-Obama-only debate where the candidates stood. You might remember the South Carolina debate (three candidates standing) which turned into an opposition research fueled back-and-forth.

7:03pm: ABC's moderators tonight, George Stepha-can't-spell-his-last-name and "Charlie" Gibson, who is Charles Gibson at night.