Did You Know There's A Democratic Debate Tonight?

    It's a tribute to how mundane the debates have become that the Democrats hold their third such gathering tonight at 9 pm EDT and there is absolutely no buzz in political circles about the event. That's too bad because:
    -- the event is on PBS, rather than a cable network, guaranteeing the Dems their largest audience of the season so far, and
    -- the event, held at Howard University, is likely to focus on domestic issues which deserve a better hearing.
    It would be terribly surprising if tonight's debate had any long-term impact on the campaign. Watch Barack Obama to see if he continues to improve (especially in front of this audience which should give him an advantage), John Edwards to see if he's developing a second act, and Bill Richardson to see if he can possibly be as bad as he's been in the first two contests. Hillary Clinton will continue to present herself as above the field -- the party's logical choice.
    Deval Patrick will give the introductions. It's his national debut!