Poll supports Barack performance in debate

The first scientific poll after last night's debate confirms the MSNBC survey of more than 100,000 respondents in declaring Barack Obama as looking the best of all the candidates.

A SurveyUSA poll of South Carolina voters found that 31 percent of participants thought Obama won the debate compared to 24 percent for Clinton and 14 percent Edwards.

Obama, I think, scored points with the party's base as was convincing as a leader truly interested in peace and with intelligent ideas on maintaining national security. He again emerged as the practical choice for those opposed to the war.

It was interesting that many political commentators characterized as "centrist" a debate in which all the participants at least appeared as against the war, supported universal healthcare and with most open to new taxes.