At NBC, The Decider

"Edwards turned a question about his $400 haircut into a story about his humble upbringings in which he described having to leave a restaurant because his father, a mill worker who was in the audience, realized after looking at the menu he couldn't afford it. Edwards said he was prosperous now and that he was running for president to allow everyone to shot at the same success. Candidates are always trying to talk about their biography, but it looks stilted in the format of a debate. Edwards was able to do so, repeat his core rationale for his candidacy and beat back the hypocrisy charge that his advisers knew was one of their big challenges for the night."

Dick Polman has a scorecard:

" Hillary Clinton. She is certainly deft at evasion. Several times she was hit with sensitive questions, and she went slip sliding away . . .

" Barack Obama. He's not well suited for a format that requires 60-second answers (at least not yet). On the stump, he does best when he can indulge his penchant for lofty eloquence; that trait doesn't work on a crowded stage. He was repeatedly asked specific questions that required glib, focused answers, and he repeatedly tried to get lofty in response . . .

" John Edwards. . . He apologized for having a $400 haircut and charging it to his campaign, then suggested that the episode doesn't embody who he really is: a guy with humble beginnings, which launched him into a story about how his family had to leave a restaurant because his dad couldn't afford the menu prices. That's the Edwards MO, to stress his log-cabin creds, as a counterpoint to his adult life as a rich trial lawyer . . .

"Bill Richardson had my favorite line of the night: The American people 'don't want blow-dried candidates with perfection.' This was his way of defending his own imperfections, such as his recent decision to cut Alberto Gonzales some extra slack just because the attorney general, like Richardson, is Hispanic. Anyway, I wonder if his reference to 'blow-dried candidates' was aimed at Edwards, the guy on the rung just above him."

At the New Republic, John Judis turns thumbs down on the man from North Carolina:

"I have nothing against John Edwards--in fact, I have often argued that, on paper, he is best Democratic candidate for president, although not the best prepared to be president--but I thought that if there was one loser among the top tier candidates, it was Edwards. His responses appeared canned and phony. I wondered when listening to him whether worries over his wife's illness were affecting him. His answer about how he could reconcile his populism with his role as a consultant to a hedge fund was classic doublespeak . . .

"In my own view, Hillary Clinton gave the best performance of the candidates. She was self-assured, clear. Obama got better after the first hour, but appeared ill at ease in his first responses. Chris Dodd won't get the nomination, but he showed that experience does count in answering political questions."

Finally, Salon is dropping its gossip column. Here's why.. Here's why.