I decided to do something really different at the recent Democratic debate sponsored by the AFL-CIO here: I decided to actually watch the debate in person...

...You can take in all the candidates at once, instead of being at the mercy of the person in the control room selecting shots. This is especially valuable when watching one candidate react to another, which is often absent from TV.

By watching in the hall, I learned for instance that Howard Dean does not watch the other candidates while they are speaking. He is very busy with his own notes, preparing for his turn to speak.

My key observation came after TV had gone off the air, however. I wondered if Dean would seek out Joe Lieberman, who had spent this last week questioning Dean�s judgment, resolve and patriotism.

Dean did so immediately. He very swiftly and very deliberately walked the length of the stage to Lieberman and shook Lieberman�s hand forcefully as if to say, "When I�m president, Joe, I�ll consider you for ambassador to Liechtenstein."