Deciphering Obama [Ezra Klein]: "As the race runs on, I feel less and less certain of my grasp on 'who' Obama is, what he believes, what he'll do in office, how he'll do it. ... the disjuncture between the grand ambition of the rhetoric and the more modest output of his policy shop confuses me." Big Apple Abortions [Ramesh Ponnuru, The Corner]: "Giuliani can take credit for a lot of great things that happened in New York City under his watch. The decline in abortion isn't one of them." First Responders [Digby]: "Giuliani is basing his entire candidacy on the fiction that he is a great 'wartime' leader who can keep the country safe. But it's clear that although he had eight years to do it, he couldn't even provide necessary equipment for the first responders in NY." Hillary's Dilemma [Richard H. Collins, Redstate]: "[Hillary's] natural tendency is to propose government-controlled programs to fix any and all social ills. ... The problem is that these programs cost a great deal of money and Hillary has claimed the centrist mantle of 'fiscal responsibility.' So there are only so many programs she can propose and retain even a small amount of credibility on that front." Blogs for Paul [Kate Sheppard, TAPPED]: "In the not-so-distant future, the generation of Iowans who have never read a blog will die off, as will the undue emphasis on the state as we move toward a better system for selecting our candidates. And when we get to that point, will someone like Ron Paul stand a chance?"