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In case you missed it, here is one of our editor’s “play-by-play,” running commentary of the democratic debate last night. The debate was hosted by Howard University and moderated by Tavis Smiley. Let us know what you thought about the debate in the comments. If you want NBA draft coverage check out True Hoop.  Nobody does it better than H. Abbott.  - IM

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Tavis Smiley was just introduced and now he is making a ridiculously long speech. No one wants to hear from him. The bottom line to his speech is “we are going to ask the candidates ‘what are you going to do for black people.’”

Tavis acknowledges some kids from Memphis who washed cars to get to the debate. Good job. Hope they get a good show.

The candidates get introduced and walk out on stage. Somebody in the crowd just yelled out OBAMA!!! Hilarious.  This is Obama’s debate to lose.

The debate is so unorganized already. Tavis had to go tell the candidates to go to their podiums. The microphones keep cutting in and out. Let’s go Howard, get it together.

QUESTION 1: A winner of an online contest is asking the first question….here we go. She mentions education and the horrible Supreme Court decision on education that came out today. Good job, but she basically asks if “race is a problem.” Softball question lady, who is going to say no? Good job on winning the contest, please go sit down.

Hillary CLINTON answers first. She says, yes race is a problem. Whatever…

Joe BIDEN answers next. His answer is nothing special. The candidates are coming out cold.

Bill RICHARDSON says he is the first Latino running for president. Not sure that answered the question but good for you buddy.

The cameras keep flashing back to the lady who asked the question to see if she is paying attention. She doesn’t look like she has a clue what’s going on.

John EDWARDS demonstrates he knows that Howard’s mascot is a Bison, he gets some applause. He brings up his “Two Americas” rant. Decent answer, but he just comes off a little too strong.

Barak OBAMA answers next. They flash to the lady who asked the question. She flashes an “ I would get with him smile.” Obama’s answer is average. In the crowd Al Sharpton gives Obama a skeptical look.

Dennis KUCINICH is up. He tells a good bootstraps joke. “How can they say pull yourself up by your bootstraps if they steal the boots.” The joke gets some laughs. He proposes universal pre kindergarten. He has the best answer so far.

Mike GRAVEL answers next. Who is this guy? He starts by raving about the war on drugs. I just noticed he has on khaki pants. Whoa, a little too casual Mike. He is still talking about drugs. I really don’t think he answered the question at all.

Christopher DODD is up next. He says education is the key and the Supreme Court decision on education was a major step backwards.

I wonder how many people in the audience really know about the Supreme Court decision that came down today?

ROUND 1 to KUCINICH.

QUESTION 2: The next question is another education question.

BIDEN: He basically says black people should start talking to their kids earlier. Hmmm.

RICHARDSON: He talks about what he has done for Latinos in New Mexico.

Tavis is running a tight ship, not hesitating to cut people off.

EDWARDS: He mentions he has started some poverty center…nothing there in the answer.

OBAMA: He says, “when you have a bill called no child left behind you can’t leave the money behind.” Clearly a preconceived quip, but ok.

Obama was the first candidate not to get cut off. Tavis clearly gave him more time. All the other candidates know it, too.

KUCINICH: Makes the second Dr. King reference of the night but his answer gets good applause. I am not sure if he really answered the question, though.

GRAVEL: His answer is nonsensical again. He must be the crazy one my political friends keep telling me about.

DODD: He brings up his senate experience and says he has walked the walk on education issues. Uh oh, he just promised to make this his number one priority when he gets in office. Whatever.

CLINTON: Starts out with “it takes a village to raise a child.” Way to go Hillary, no one black has heard that before.

Tavis does not cut off Hillary either.

ROUND 2 to goes to OBAMA.

QUESTION 3: What is the plan to stop/prevent the spread of AIDS?

The microphone keeps cutting off. I wonder if the sound is better during the Howard step shows?

RICHARDSON: Did he just say use needles? He then says we have to deal with Africa. He mentions condoms. His answer was horrible and horribly delivered. Luckily for him GRAVEL is on stage.

EDWARDS: He spits out a stat on black women and AIDS. He says we need more public funding and squeezes in his 3 point plan. (1) find a cure, (2) fully fund Ryan White legislation and (3) Medicaid should cover AIDS treatment. Good structured answer. He is warming up.

OBAMA: Says prevention = education and then begins to ramble.

Ooh, Obama finally gets cutoff. He flashes Tavis a look like, “Man, I thought we had a deal. I don’t get cutoff, fool.”

KUCINICH: Oddly enough he is the front runner in applause right now. He says its time to get real. He basically uses the question to take a shot at our current medical system.

GRAVEL: He brings up the war on drugs again. I am beginning to think that’s all he knows about black issues. Harry Belafonte is in the audience pretty much laughing at this guy.

DODD: I am struggling to stay awake during DODD’s answers. He is not playing to the crowd at all or invoking his best MLK impression. You have to respect that, but he is boring me to tears. DODD keeps rambling and Tavis tries several times to stop him.

OOHH!!! Tavis just shut down DODD…he told DODD “if you were Paris Hilton you would get an hour. But your not.”

CLINTON: She chuckles at Tavis’ comment. She is loving it. She says, “that was good Tavis.” Answering the question, Clinton says if white women were in this situation (black women and AIDS) there would be nationwide outrage. Her comment gets people on their feet. People are “having church” in the auditorium. She’s on a roll. She is clearly “winning” the debate now.

BIDEN: He brings to everyone’s attention that the question was “how do you prevent AIDS?” Then he starts talking about how he has visited “black sections” of his town. What did he just say? He says he has been tested for AIDS and that OBAMA has been tested for AIDS too. WHAT!?

In the crowd, Al Sharpton frowns at Biden’s answer.

OBAMA interrupts and says he got tested for AIDS with Michelle, his wife. He wants no confusion about that. This gets big laughs from the crowd. Unfortunately, this is OBAMA’s best comment so far.

Tavis announces he is cutting answers to 30 seconds to get to more questions. Maybe if he had not given an “I Have a Dream” speech in the beginning they would have more time.

ROUND 3 to CLINTON with EDWARDS a close second. Best round of the debate.

QUESTION 4: Are the rich paying their share of taxes?

Another softball. Who is going to say yes to that?

EDWARDS: He advocates for getting rid of the George Bush tax cuts. He gets some applause. Uh oh, he just mentioned capital gains rate. I think that got by some people.

OBAMA: He starts with, what people really want is fairness, blah, blah. Wow, OBAMA is not being a rock star right now.

Tavis gives OBAMA a little more time again and we are not rewarded. The crowd is ready to explode but OBAMA will not light the match. C’mon OBAMA, do something!!

KUCINICH: He answers the question but says nothing new.

GRAVEL: Cuts through the BS. He says no one is going to live to see any of the changes these people on stage are talking about. I wonder if he has been drinking?

DODD: He is not playing to the crowd at all, just being his boring self. He says he wants to see companies go to the inner cities or something. Yawn.

CLINTON: She drops her first, “times were better when my husband ran this country” comment. She claims that Warren Buffet wants to be taxed more because he is a patriotic American. CLINTON is actually doing well under the 30 second Tavis rule.

BIDEN: [Insert incomprehensible answer here.]

RICHARDSON: Yawn. This question should not be that tough to answer. He is rambling on and Tavis is trying to cut him off. He says to Tavis, “I’m almost finished!”

Tavis replies to RICHARDSON, “Yes you are!!!” Hilarious. Tavis just does not give a damn. He is taking pleasure in his control. I would not want to work for him.

ROUND 4 to Tavis. Everybody’s answer sucked because it was a horrible question.

QUESTION 5: How do we fix the criminal justice system?

OBAMA: He says the criminal justice system is not colorblind and it should be. He says it should be about justice and not “just us.” He is starting to get on a roll and Tavis cuts him off.

OBAMA gives Tavis another glare like, “Don’t you ever cut me off again, Smiley. I will crush you, son.”

KUCINICH: Says he would start by ending mandatory minimums for sentencing. KUCINICH is getting much more applause than I expected.

GRAVEL: Talking to the crowd, GRAVEL says, “is it a surprise that to get justice you need money?” He implores the crowd to empower themselves.

DODD: Finally DODD gives an answer with a little personality. He says that we need to make the distinction between crack and powder cocaine more fair. DODD finally gets on the scoreboard late in the third quarter.

CLINTON: Rattles off some bullet points…(1) stop racial profiling…(2) change mandatory minimums…(3) diversion, drug courts for non violent offenders and (4) the Attorney General is horrible.

CLINTON is really on a roll. I like her bullet point delivery. It suits the debate style. If you get cut off by Tavis and try to talk over him he will hand you your head on a platter. Good adjustment by CLINTON.

BIDEN: He basically says, “I wrote the drug court legislation, bitches.”

RICHARDSON: He is struggling under the time constraints. He is too long winded. Tavis is going to cut him off again. Here it comes. Ooh he made it. That’s probably the first time all night.

EDWARDS: He says that everything that has been said before him is correct. He adds that we need to help people that are convicted for the first time stay at of more trouble.

ROUND 5 to CLINTON.

QUESTION 6: Finally a question about Katrina. Would you support a law to guarantee people a right to return to New Orleans?

KUCINICH: He says that the tragedy in New Orleans wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the failings of the government.

The candidates are not bashing Bush much. I wonder why? I think that would get them automatic applause.

GRAVEL: I love when he talks now. He says, yes and that we are squandering our money on the war. One of the few answers where he hasn’t mentioned the war on drugs.

DODD: He states that Katrina was a symbol of everything that went wrong in this administration.

CLINTON: Says she has a 10 point plan but really doesn’t go into it. Probably her weakest answer of the night.

BIDEN: He looks republican to me. I don’t trust him. Anyway, his answer is that we have got step up as a nation and solve the problems caused by Kartina.

RICHARDSON: He says this was a disgraceful episode. He is the first one to say that we should force the insurance companies to do their part. So far I like his answer the most.

The candidates are all adjusting to Tavis’ iron fist regarding time.

EDWARDS: He mentions that he announced his bid for the nomination in New Orleans. I didn’t know that. Then he says he would appoint a czar of New Orleans to report to him everyday. That’s original. No one else came up with that one.

OBAMA: He says we need the type of president that would have been in touch with (could relate to) the people of New Orleans before Katrina. “Everybody can’t jump in their SUV’s with sparkling water and flee.” Great answer from OBAMA. He finally gets a decent reaction from the crowd.

ROUND 6 to OBAMA.

QUESTION 7: What is your opinion on outsourcing?

Why the hell was Gwen Ifill not called to be on the journalist panel? I am paraphrasing these questions some but they are still horrible overall.

GRAVEL: He says that the problem is all these people on the stage with him. He is getting tired. He is just refusing to address the topic of the questions now.

DODD: He reverts back to old form and gives a stale answer.

CLINTON: Again she rattles off a number of proposals. She dealt with stopping outsourcing in NY. Her proposals are…end tax breaks…strengthen trade agreements…help Americans compete with educational programs….invest in clean energy because it would create jobs. Another decent answer from CLINTON under the time constraints.

BIDEN: Says we have to make it more attractive for corporations to be in the US.

RICHARDSON: He takes the education route and says we have to upgrade science and math education.

EDWARDS: He brings up that damn mill his father worked in that was closed causing his father to lose his job. His stories of woe are getting a little old. Everyone knows he is a rich trial lawyer now. He mentions education and he says we must eliminate tax breaks for companies who take their jobs overseas.

OBAMA: I am not even sure what he said was an answer.

Everyone in the crowd seems to be pulling for OABAMA but I think they are becoming impatient. People want to erupt but he is not giving them the opportunity. Sharpton is loving it.

KUCINICH: He tells a story about some steel mill closing and then he says just cancel NAFTA. Again, he gets some decent applause.

ROUND 7 to CLINTON.

LAST QUESTION: Why isn’t the U.S. intervening in Darfur?

DODD: He says we have lost our moral authority because of Iraq, but we need to take unilateral action.

CLINTON: She says we need to do three things: (1) move peacekeepers in…(2)…[sorry, I missed # two]…(3) establish a no fly zone over Sudan. She then says with a Billy Clint fist pump, “if aircraft enter the no fly zone we should SHOOT….THEM……DOWN !!!!!!”

CLINTON was on fire and then to top it off she got gangster on the last question. That was the nail in the coffin. The crowd loves her.

BIDEN: He takes a jab at DODD’s answer and says that we lost our moral authority because we failed to act.

RICHARDSON: He says that fighting genocide is more important than sports and that we should put the screws to China since they are hosting the Olympics.

Just in case you didn’t know, China is heavily invested in the region. This was my favorite RICHARDSON answer.

EDWARDS: Says we should use Darfur as an opportunity to reestablish ourselves as a force for good. He tries to finish strong like CLINTON but falls a bit short.

OBAMA: This is it for OBAMA…blah, blah…trade opportunities….blah, blah. Damn, no big finish.

Tavis clearly gave OBAMA more time again without any great result. I think OBAMA had the cards in his favor tonight and didn’t capitalize. This may even hurt him among black voters a bit. He performed well, but not as well as I expected.

KUCINICH: He basically says that the situation is messed up and that if Darfur had oil we would move in. Again, he gets some decent applause.

GRAVEL: Says that the president has to have moral judgment and no one on the stage with him has that. He gets the last word. How fitting.

ROUND 8 to CLINTON. That makes her the winner in my book. She rocked this debate. Not only was she entertaining but she also demonstrated skillful use of her time and got her points across. I actually came out liking her and KUCINICH the most.

Finally, Tavis thanks all the candidates and then signs off with “Keep the faith…” whatever the hell that means. I hope people enjoyed this. Keep in mind I paraphrased to keep up with the pace of the debate so refer to an official transcript for exact quotes.