The reviews are in!

Kevin Drum hated it. Professor Krugman liked his fellow professor's performance.

I couldn't disagree with Kevin more. I thought he showed not just a command of the issue, but a real passion for it. His long ("rambling") answers reflected both of those things. Yes, it's a complicated, wonkish subject, and he doesn't at this time know all the particulars that will land on his desk, but he laid out what was important to him, he framed Republican opposition to it as, essentially, opposition to him, and he made the important point that almost no one in the debate has made: that we spend more for less effective care. And, yes, he used real world examples of what denial of coverage means for families.

Of course, I was watching at 8 Eastern while Kevin watched at 5 Pacific. Wonder what effect that has.

And, weirdly, I hear a lot of criticism of Obama's anwer to the question, can you guarantee that nothing will change? Of course, the answer is no. That's why it's called "reform."