From NBC's Mark Murray  
We're half way home, and we've seen questions on 9/11, Iraq, immigration, health care, gay rights, Bill Clinton, and global warming. Now the second half comes -- with questions from the audience.

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Was it a good thing for the Clinton campaign that 5 minutes of this debate was about Bill Clinton? On one hand, yes; on the other? Depends, does talk of Pres. Clinton bring up the past or the future?

From NBC's Chuck Todd
That last shot of the candidates from behind was not fair to Hillary Clinton. It showed her standing on a platform. I'm sure her campaign is NOT happy with CNN with that camera shot.

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Barack Obama is clearly on his toes tonight finding many chances to jump in and try and grab the center stage. Criticizing Wolf's question was a small moment but an important one for Obama. BTW, I'm surprised that more hands didn't go up. Would these folks expect immigrants to China NOT to learn Chinese?

From NBC's Mark Murray
Not a single Democrat raised his/her hand saying that English should be the official language of this country.

*** Update*** It looks like Gravel did raise his hand.

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Reality check: do you know the number of Dem primary voters in South Carolina that listed immigration as one of the most important issues for the candidates to focus on? Zero. And it's just not in South Carolina. There is a gigantic divide between the two parties on whether this is a serious problem in this country or not. CNN is just doing Lou Dobbs a favor by asking the question.

From NBC's Chuck Todd
"I never would have voted" for the resolution had Hillary Clinton known then what she'd known now. So she said at the debate. At first blush, it appears to be a slight change in her answer to the war resolution question. We'll follow up on this later tonight or tomorrow.

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Hillary Clinton can be stubborn, can't she. She won't apologize for her vote on the war (like some Democrats want her to) and she won't acknowledge whether it was a mistake NOT reading the N.I.E.

And now John Edwards also doesn't believe it was a mistake that he didn't read the N.I.E. In talking with one very knowledgable source of the Intelligence Committee inner-workings during that time period, this person expressed surprise that Edwards didn't read the N.I.E. He had more access to it because he was on the Intelligence Committee.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Thirty minutes into the debate, Richardson gets asks about immigration -- the first non-Iraq, non-security question.

Clinton asked about not reading NIE. She said she feels she had the information she needed and was briefed. Edwards tries to draw line in the sand, says the difference is he says he was "wrong."

Obama was right, Edwards said; he didn't vote for it.

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel aren't doing the Democratic Party any favors by BOTH trying to put the Iraq War at the feet of the Democrats as well as Pres. Bush.

Kucinich & Gravel throwing bombs from outside, saying this is the Democrats' war, too.

From NBC's Mark Murray
"This war belongs to the Democratic Party."

Gravel -- in answering his first question -- said the Iraq war "was facilitated by the Democrats... It was a Democratic war also."

To Edwards: "You are about 4 1/2 years late" in opposing the war.

Blitzer gets Edwards to name Clinton/Obama on opposing Iraq war.

Obama's response: "You were about 4 1/2 years late on this issue."

Clinton: "This is George W. Bush's war."

Edwards: "They eventually voted the right way."

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Obama is definitely a bit crisper tonight. Looks like debate prep worked. He's still a tad meandering in his speaking style than either Edwards or Clinton, but he's getting there.

Dodd still hasn't been asked a question yet, even though Edwards, Obama, and Clinton have received two each. Gravel hasn't received one either.

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Joe Biden is still running for Secretary of State and not president. The fact that he didn't take the opportunity to take a shot at the frontrunners when the question was an opening to do just that only proves Biden may simply be interested in a promotion to the upper echelons of the Cabinet.

"These are my friends" -- that about sums up the "Biden for Sec/State" campaign.

Biden was just asked why Clinton, Dodd, and Obama were wrong to vote AGAINST the Iraq supplemental. He didn't anser directly. "I will tell you why I was right."

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Our first disagreement... Clinton and Edwards disagreeing on the phrase "war on terror."  Clinton differing a bit from both Obama and Edwards by saying we are safer than we were. Wonder how that will play in the blogosphere?

Third question of the debate...

From NBC's Chuck Todd
A very good first question from Scott Spradling; the single biggest story of the last decade is that we haven't been hit again on our own soil.

First two questions -- to Obama and Edwards -- is about terrorism and 9/11.

From NBC's Chuck Todd

Interesting CNN test... no bells, no lights to stop the talking... we'll see if it works.