Barack shook his leonine mane and flashed a knowing smile this afternoon in Iowa to an audience that I thought non-existent or dead! He turned the laugh on himself, about  inexperience and the heavy use of former Clinton advisors, to his advantage by responding to Hill's laugh with: “Hillary I am looking forward to you advising me as well!” Hundreds of comments on Huffington Post alone made to that one headline. Wow. It was a cute, really cute rejoinder.

The audience would have to be virtual to not respond to that sound bite. Thus, there was an immediate roar of laughter both from the audience and the stage. That man’s got bounce and not just in the latest local polls. If you watched the bars they often went off the charts from his opening responses.

I think he won. But it is still a three-way race. Edwards is a strong contender and many would love to see an Edwards/Obama ticket rather than the inevitable Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket. What many are witnessing is that je ne sais quoi that creates electability and likeability.  But if dailykos carries any weight—Barack won the debate with 37% of the vote. 

Not only did Obama alight on the stump with instant likability but now his electability quotient has also increased.

The two seem to go hand in hand. Thus Hillary, Hill or HRC’s liability in the likability factor has become a real question of her strength as a national candidate. There is no dearth of blogs, articles and tags that bear her name and that of Bill Clinton. There is no dearth of blogs that bear the tag of Oprah who “soulfully” backs her Senator from Illinois. He is not only likable but loveable. Oprah does not have to doubt her decision or hedge her bets on this choice. Many Americans are responding in like and kind to the excitement she has shared with potential caucus goers and beyond. That’s one side of the coin. Then there is the other side of the coin with Hillary's profile and the words "inevitable un-likability" engraved. What’s wrong with that?

Here's the obvious answer: don’t sling mud on someone who is transfixing and expect his or her admirers to then admire you for pointing out the flaws or picking up the mud. Barack wrote candidly, and well, about his drug use in Dreams From My Father, and how his future was shaky in light of bad choices. He was a black man facing a bleak future if he did not change his evil ways. Now, he has a chance to be a beacon of hope for other young men, black and brown. And pundits are pointing out that despite the dirty laundry being aired and held up for inspection; it is just not sticking to Obama--for now. We know quite well that he is not the first "smoker" or drinker in the Oval Office and certainly won't be the last. In fact, his flaws (and his discussion of them) have increased his bounce and vigor among voters and supporters. So, who is it that has to rethink their image in an image and cult-obsessed America? Hillary Clinton might be in that number. But she has some powerful backers too.