Live from Las Vegas! It's the Triumphant Democratic Comeback Debate Live Thread!

Greetings from fabulous Las Vegas, where mcjoan and I are seated in the decidedly un-fabulous press room at the Cashman Center.  The TVs here aren't showing the MSNBC pregame show, so we have no idea what sort of expectations are being set by Tweety, KO, and the gang.  On the other hand, that means we don't have to listen to Tweety.  It's a mixed bag, this on-site liveblogging.

So I'm left with the less-than-thrilling news that Kucinich won't be on stage.  I have nothing more to say about that.

Ah, the MSNBC feed is up.  It looks like Mittmentum has triumphed.  Good job, Michigan Dems!

Here's the King to welcome the candidates to Vegas:

It's a roundtable format.

Q1: Delving right into the tough stuff -- on MLK's b-day, Williams wants to know, how did the racial brouhaha begin?

HRC:  All the Dem candidates are progressives on civil rights issues.  Edwards "is the son of a millworker."  (No!)  Obama and I entered into a truce.  And we're all here as a result of Dr. King's work.

Obama:  We need to unite as a nation -- that's what Dr. King stood for.  I hope that my campaign has inspired those same sentiments.

JRE:  As a Southerner who grew up during the civil rights era, I feel a duty to move the nation forward on these issues.  Forwards, not backwards.

Q2:   Russert to Obama -- HRC says you pushed the racial angle.  What say you?

OBAMA: Need to focus on the big issues.  Everyone on stage is committed to racial eqauality, and I'm going to be judged on what I can do as President -- on the economy, on foreign policy.  That's the basis on which the race is going to be won and lost.

RUSSERT:  Believe that the Wilder effect reared its ugly head in NH?

OBAMA:   No.  HRC ran a good campaign.  We need to move forward as a united nation for change.

Q3: Russert to HRC -- what's with your subordinates making insinuations about Obama's admitted past drug use?

HRC:  Let's not get diverted by tangential issues.  What's important is leadership, economy, etc.

(These folks really don't want to talk about the racial flap.  Very tentative and nicey-nice right now.)

Q4: To Edwards -- Where do you fit in when running against two historic candidacies -- the first viable woman and first viable black candidate?

JRE:  The decision that voters make is going to be on the big issues -- economy, rights in workplace, etc.  

(Everyone agrees what the big issues are, I guess.)

FOLLOWUP:  What's a white male to do, Senator Edwards?

JRE resists the temptation to dismiss a loaded question, and says that this campaign says great things about the Party and America.

Q5:  Well, they sure aren't asking about the big issues -- OBAMA asked about the "you're likable enough" slight.

OBAMA:  Everyone on stage is good and capable -- let's focus on who's got a vision to bring country forward.  Let's focus on who can transform Washington.

Q6: To JRE -- did you buddy up with Obama against HRC?

JRE pretty much ignores, and talks about the powerful interests that stand between working Americans and the "promise of America."

(Kudos to the candidates, who want to talk real issues -- the questioners don't seem to.)

Heckler heckles inaudibly.

Q7: Sorry -- I missed the question in the excitement about the heckler.  Whatever it was, it's prompted HRC to talk about the mortgage crisis, the health care crisis, and the lack of a sane energy policy.

mcjoan is raring to go with a new thread.