The moderators seemed to come armed with an agenda, at least as I read it. Hillary Clinton, by comparison, received a series of softball questions centering on the most important moments of her life when God spoke to her, etc. The exceptions were questions each candidate shared in common, including whether life begins at conception, etc.
The questions for Obama included a large number of very aggressive “gotcha” questions on the “bitter” remarks, Reverend Wright, and other subjects. (Anyone who would care to submit examples of the “tough questions” Hillary received are welcome to do so in comments.) The effort, from what I saw, fell flat. The crowd went heavily for Obama as he fielded tough questions and clarified his positions well.
The contrast between the two performances was striking, and Obama effectively hit it out of the park. If these questions were ad hoc, with neither candidate having access to them ahead of time, Obama showed once again how well he can handle himself when cornered and won the audience over.
More tomorrow.