10:11 P.M. CST | One last question concludes the evening: When did each candidate make the decision to run for president? “New Year’s this past year,” Clinton said. Obama and Edwards both cited December 2006 as the time of their decision.

Clinton, Obama and Edwards all received applause at the end of the debate, and the candidates went on to greet audience members.

Overall, a fresh, sort of unorthodox debate style, with the candidates asking each other questions and the informal round table setting. Not too many hard-hitting personal attacks; things seemed to be pretty civil between all three candidates.

Obama seemed almost mellow tonight; Clinton seemed, as always, determined and straight-forward. Not too much emotion from her end, whereas Obama used his charm in getting the audience to react and laugh.

Edwards really seemed to be setting himself apart, but whether or not he actually has a chance against Clinton and Obama is yet to be determined. A South Carolina primary win is crucial for him.

9:55 P.M. CST | Obama feels politics have been dominated by fear since 9/11; true, but it’s understandable. America does face a major enemy in Al-Qaeda, which Clinton brings up. Clinton seems to be very focused on this, and very diligent on this topic. Obama seems to be more laidback.

9:42 P.M. CST | Helping black males stay in school and receive mentoring–“that’s got to be one of our highest priorities,” Clinton said. Nice… hope she’s not just saying that because it’s a “black brown” debate, as she keeps mentioning.

9:37 P.M. CST | English as the official language: problem? Edwards said no, being able to speak English should be a requirement for becoming an American citizen.

Are Hispanic voters traditionally unsupportive of a black candidate? “Not in Illinois; they voted for me,” Obama said, making the audience laugh again.

9:28 P.M. CST | “Climate change is one of the top priorities the next president has to pursue,” Obama said. He wants to charge for any greenhouse gases emitted… a good idea, but seems a little out of reach.

9:24 P.M. CST | Tonight, Edwards has continuously set himself apart from Clinton and Obama. Smart move, if he wants to stand out and get voters who aren’t sure about Obama or Clinton.

9:20 P.M. CST | On the topic of the ROTC and recruiters at school, Obama and Clinton are both vigorously for it, while Edwards supports it but brings up homeless veterans and troops left with PTSD and loss of limbs. Well, that gets Obama and Clinton going; they care about the veterans, too, of course.

9:09 P.M. CST | Tim Russert said the candidates are saying different things about Iraq troop removal now than they did previously, and Obama and Edwards right away got defensive. Clinton said, Hey, we all pretty much agree that the troops need to be removed soon; it’s the Republicans that may keep the troops there for, as John McCain said, hundreds of years.

9:04 P.M. CST | The candidates asking each other questions: cool! Edwards asked Obama why drug companies would contribute so much money to a candidate’s campaign, specifically Obama’s. A little awkward because Obama seemed to get defensive on Edwards, like Obama was thinking, ‘Wait a minute, make sure you word your question right, buddy.’ Obama said he’s proud of raising the most money from small donors, and also that it’s perfectly fine if people want to contribute money to his campaign.

8:54 P.M. CST | Obama’s funny tonight. He seems the most relaxed of the three, and he’s made the audience laugh a few times.

8:50 P.M. CST | Clinton used the term “black and brown groups” referring to African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-Americans…Doesn’t seem very politically correct…

8:48 P.M. CST | Edwards easily admitted his vote on a bankruptcy bill was wrong, and he wishes he hadn’t voted for it. Don’t hear that very often, such an easy denoucement of one’s previous thinking.

8:43 P.M. CST | Clinton wants to move away from foreign ownership of well-known American companies. Edwards agreed, said the economy is the root of things. (“It’s the economy, stupid!”) Obama feels Nevada needs to move toward other energy sources, specifically solar, when they receive a lot of sunlight.

8:34 P.M. CST | I like this personal side to the debate. Hearing about the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses makes it feel like a one-on-one interview, not the same old rhetoric. Obama said he’s disorganized and Edwards said he gets emotional over people’s stories. Clinton talked about her background and being blessed growing up.

8:23 P.M. CST | Woah, an angry audience member! Sounds like this guy wants to hear about the real issues too, not just “YouTube stuff,” as he said.

Yup, here goes Clinton with her schtick. I guess angry outbursts work.

8:17 P.M. CST | They’re really focusing on relations between the candidates, instead of getting to the “real issues.” Interesting. Let’s see how long this goes on before Iraq or healthcare is brought up.

8:06 P.M. CST | Clinton and Obama seem to have made a truce after the events of the past few days; both said race and gender should not be factors in the campaign, and that all in the Democratic party are on the same side.

8:01 P.M. CST | Hm…the candidates are seated at a table, not standing at podiums. This could make things a little more informal.