PRESIDENTIAL OBAMA THE WINNER OF KEY DEBATE

February 27, 2008 -- DEVOID of any real fireworks, last night's debate was a victory for Barack Obama.With the momentum behind him from 11 straight primary and caucus victories, Obama was confident, gracious and even presidential.Perhaps more than in any of the other 19 Democratic primary debates that have come before, it was possible to imagine Obama sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office. He's starting to give off that White House vibe.When Hillary Rodham Clinton insinuated that he was soft on anti-Semitism by merely "denouncing" but not "rejecting" the unwanted endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, Obama did not quibble.He offered the smile of a winner and agreed to "reject and denounce" the endorsement.It was a petty point not worthy of debate, and he "happily" conceded it to her. The crowd cheered.Clearly peeved about the photo reportedly shopped around this week by the Clinton campaign showing him wearing a turban in Kenya, Obama chose the high road.When Clinton insisted she knew nothing of the pic, Obama said simply, "I take Senator Clinton at her word." And then he moved on. Classy.At times during the debate, Obama even seemed as if he were running in the general election and appealing to voters far beyond the borders of the Democratic Party.On campaign financing for the general election, he sidestepped questions about his previous commitment to limiting how much he would spend.Instead, he offered to sit down with John McCain and agree to a spending plan that is "fair to both sides."That's not exactly the red meat Democrats want to hear and certainly isn't something Clinton would agree to.But it's honest and makes sense.And on foreign policy, he strayed from the dovish dogma that dominates the Democratic Party these days by reminding voters of his vow to launch strikes to wipe out Islamic terrorists. SOURCE OF THIS STORY