Clinton Better, Obama Loses Hand

The New York Times weighs in with some post-debate reviews . Wearing a self-proclaimed “asbestos pantsuit,” Hillary “may not have been electric, but she was back on solid ground.” Against audience chatter and boos, Obama addressed Clinton’s pitch to lift the cap on payroll taxes to pay for Social Security, claiming it paves the way for $1 trillion tax increase: “This is the kind of thing that I would expect from Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani, where we start playing with numbers — we start playing with numbers in order to try to make a point.” Finally, diamond’s or pearls? Easy question for swaggering Diamond Joe Biden. Clinton wants both. Debate Wrap: Viva Las Vegas [NYT] Clinton’s in Thick of Barbed Democratic Debate [NYT]