Tonight's First Democratic Debate Puts Huge Pressures On Clinton, Obama And Edwards

Tonight's first 2008 Democratic debate broadcast on MSNBC puts huge pressures on Clinton, Obama and Edwards. Each faces their own challenges tonight.

For Clinton her job is maintain her steadily slipping status as the frontrunner with the steady surge of Barack Obama. Clinton is certainly intelligent enough to be President. But her cold style hardly warms the hearts of many, and she has recently appeared to be a panderer with absurd appeals to African American voters in a phony accent or even comparing herself to antislavery champion, Harriet Tubman. Clinton seems to bear the brunt of baggage from her husband's term in office, plus brings her own questions up as well. Whether she can manage to maintain her narrow frontrunner status depends greatly on tonight's performance.

Barack Obama also has a great challenge tonight. Is he up to all the hype? Can he manage to prove to be the best and most electable of the Democrats and continue to bring in the recent big contributions? Some polls like Rasmuussen now place him even with Clinton.

John Edwards also has much to gain. Right now he stands as the only traditional style Democratic candidate, a White male, with a decent chance of electability. But he lags behind both Clinton and Obama, and his only hope is that both would somehow fail, which certainly seems unlikely.

At this point Obama looks like the one candidate who may be able to sew up a great deal of support tonight. He may have the most to gain or lose tonight of anyone. And the other five also ran Democrats have little hope, but tonight is their best shot to sell themselves. These candidates who are really on the bubble also have a big stake in tonight's debate.

Tonight's debate will entertaining to say the least.