Last micro thought: Did anyone else notice the way Hillary would turn and glare at Obama--standing at the podium next to her--every time he started criticizing her? I read it less as true irritation on Hillary's part and more as a calculated attempt to make Obama uncomfortable. It may have worked: At one point early in the debate I thought I noticed Obama turn towards her as he spoke and flinch a bit, as though startled to be meeting that Medusa gaze.
Maybe I'm wildly over-interpreting--but it would make sense, especially if you know Obama isn't comfortable with personal attacks to begin with.
P.S. Nostalgia corner: Anyone else remember the 2000 debate in which Al Gore strode across the stage and stood next to George W. Bush in an apparent effort to psych him out? Similar thinking, perhaps. (Although Gore, as I recall, failed badly and wound up looking rather strange....)
--Michael Crowley