Last night's Democratic debate is being written up as another Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama event, showing that labor's favorite candidate, John Edwards, didn't dominate the forum.

The Los Angeles Times' Peter Nicholas writes that all the candidates "tried to drive home a message" that Clinton is "part of a Washington culture that is delivering results only for the most influential Americans." Edwards attacked her appearance on the cover of Fortune magazine and both he and Obama criticized Clinton's defense of lobbyists last weekend. Clinton said she was there to "change America," not "get in fights with Democrats." Then Clinton portrayed herself as the strongest general election candidate, saying to applause that "for 15 years, I have stood up against the right-wing machine and I've come out stronger. So if you want a winner who knows how to take them on, I'm your girl."

The largest exchange over a single issue wasn't over the economy, but the war on terror. The New York Times' Jeff Zeleny and Steven Greenhouse report that Obama was attacked for his tough line on Pakistan, but hit Democrats who supported Iraq and "engineered the biggest foreign policy disaster of our time." Clinton said about Obama's willingness to invade Pakistan if necessary, that it's a "very big mistake to telegraph that. You can think big, but remember you shouldn't always say everything you think if you're running for president, because it has consequences across the world." Clinton was booed.

Obama said if Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf "cannot act," the U.S. will -- a subtle shift from his original statement that if Musharraf "won't act, we will."

Reactions were more varied than usual, perhaps because Clinton "earned the loudest jeers and the most sustained applause," in what amounted to a "metaphor for the entire race," writes Marc Ambinder.

NBC News' Chuck Todd brings us back to the anti-Clinton dynamic, writing that Joe Biden and Chris Dodd were carrying her water, while Obama and Edwards tried to be the "anti-Hillary."

Time's Mark Halperin gave Clinton a B+ for presenting a "forceful front, boasting of her electability" but also came off as a "show-offy-teachers-pet-know-it-all." Obama earned the same grade, as he dodged a question about Iraq turning into an al-Qaeda base, rambled about foreign policy at times and referred to Canada's leader as president, not prime minister. Edwards "disappeared for long stretches, disrupting some of his momentum and aspirations to reach first-tier status. ... Worked double time to pursue his current go-for-broke strategy by being the anti-Washington candidate of change." B+.

Dennis Kucinich got positive comments on his fiery, trash-NAFTA, leave-the-WTO rhetoric.

Some news was made before the debate as well. Bill Richardson announced a health care plan that would lower the Medicare age to 55, extend family insurance coverage to age 25, and ease health care access for veterans. However, insurance companies couldn't deny health care insurance for "pre-existing conditions." The Politico's Mike Allen reports Clinton warned that the mortgage industry could fail if the government doesn't intervene to protect borrowers and police lenders.

Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani was asked at an Iowa event whether he's a practicing Catholic and answered that it's a "personal discussion, and (the clergy) have a much better sense of how good a Catholic I am or how bad a Catholic I am, and that's a matter of individual conscience," reports the Des Moines Register's Jonathan Roos.

At the Ames straw poll, Sam Brownback will bring Norma McCorvey -- who was the plaintiff who had an abortion in Roe v. Wade but has become pro-life since then – and the executive producer of "The Passion of the Christ."

On abortion, Ron Paul said his years as a gynecologist taught him that abortion at any stage is wrong, reports the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier's Deb Nicklay. Paul said, "Life is sacred. The most obscene thing government could do is to...use your money to commit abortion."

Get these and today's other election stories at RCP's Politics and Elections page.