Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

A funny thing happens when Democratic presidential contenders debate without ever mentioning Iraq: They relentlessly agree. And — when in front of diehard party loyalists like they were last night at Washington’s historically black Howard University — the Democrats come across a bit more liberal than most might want to be remembered, if one of them gets the nod to run against the Republicans in next year’s general election.

The debate aired by PBS was the first to skip over the war in Iraq, giving the candidates a break from once again airing their differences on that subject. But it also made this session a bit boring and repetitive as candidates took turns using similar words, endorsing their many shared priorities, from fighting racism and poverty to proposing universal health care and higher taxes for the rich. Indeed, I fell asleep about 10 minutes into this one. Luckily, I had it on tape — and you can bet the Republicans do, too.