The Democratic presidential candidates held their first debate Thursday in South Carolina. Most commentators were bored.

Lane Hudson found yesterday’s debate questions “softball” and the answers status quo.

The National Review’s “Hillary Spot” blog offers a republican strategist's wrap up of the debate. He was underwhelmed by Obama and Hillary.

Walter Shapiro talked to strategists for the various candidates and found them admitting, in private, that the Orangeburg debate “didn’t change anything.”

Ben Smith found the Dems playing nice. The differences between them were drawn lightly in pencil.

John Dickerson found the Democratic debate generally lacking in excitement, except for the statements from very long shot contenders like Mike Gravel. When Gravel said that he owned a gun, one of the leading candidate’s advisors said afterward that he “was worried that he meant he had one with him at the moment."

Mario Cuomo tells the Democrats to come up with something better than recounting GOP failures. They need to tell us what they would do differently, he says.

Byron York found two of the three Democratic frontrunners weak on their response to Brian Williams’ questions on terrorism. Hilary did the best of the three, in his opinion.