I didn't get to watch the debate last night, but I'm reading the transcript right now amongst the piles of work I have at my job. Every time something piques my interest, I'll post here. It may take me all day.

I thought Dean handled the Confederate flag issue quite well:

DEAN: No, I wasn't John Edwards because people who vote who fly the Confederate flag, I think they are wrong because I think the Confederate flag is a racist symbol. But I think there are lot of poor people who fly that flag because the Republicans have been dividing us by race since 1968 with their southern race strategy.

I am tired of being divided by race in this country. I am tired of being divided by abortion, by gay rights.

I want to go down to the South and talk to people who don't make any more than anybody else up north but keep voting Republican against their own economic interests and that's what I am saying.

But Edwards' follow-up.... Well, it kicked Dean's ass.

EDWARDS: Because let me tell you the last thing we need in the South is somebody like you coming down and telling us what we need to do.

(APPLAUSE)

That's the last thing in the world we need in the South.

I grew up in the South. I grew up with the very people that you're talking about. And what Al Sharpton just said is exactly right. The people that I grew up with, the vast majority of them, they don't drive around with Confederate flags on pickup trucks.

One of the problems that we have with young people today is people talk down to you. You know, you get all pigeon-holed. They've stereotype you.

Exactly the same thing happens with people from the South. I have seen it. I have grown up with it. I'm here to tell you it is wrong. It is condescending. And the only way that we as a party are going to win the White House back is to reach out to everybody and treat them with the dignity and respect that they're entitled to.

That's what we ought to be doing.

And Edwards hit the nail on the head. Dean's statement didn't do nearly as much damage to African Americans as it did to Southern whites. That's where Dean made his mistake. Dean is doing a great job of responding to the criticisms -- which are mainly coming from other Democrats, not the neocon media -- and I think this will blow over, but Dean has certainly learned a valuable lesson. I still think he's the right man for the job.

Also of note: Al Sharpton is the only candidate up there who uses a Mac. I like Al more and more, though he'd make a terrible president.

More to come.