Scenes from Behind the Clinton-Obama Debate

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

So there I was, sandwiched in some sweet seats in the third row center of the mezzanine of Hollywood's Kodak Theater. Directly in front of me, my television hero, "Toby Ziegler" of The West Wing. On my left, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano and Congressman Joe Baca. On my right, Congresswoman Hilda Solis. Down below, Stevie Wonder, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Steven Spielberg.

Everywhere I looked, anyone who was anybody in Democratic politics was there for the history-making clash between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

It was, in my opinion, the kind of debate Democrats of all stripes were hoping for: civil, issue-focused, and detailed with minimal intervention from the press.

But you can read about that elsewhere. There was much more going on than what was happening on stage.

The "pre-game show," as it was dubbed, was a half-hour of warmup before the debate. California Democratic Party Chair Art Torres was the emcee, rousing the crowd with his projections of Democratic victories and introducing the notables. The biggest surprise? Former Gov. Gray Davis got the only standing ovation from the crowd.

There's more...

Photo courtesy Los Angeles Times.