Highlights and lowlights.

Having written about Howard Dean for the last three weeks, I'm going to give readers a break and cover highlights from all the candidates in this debate. I'll assess Dean's performance tomorrow. (To read the scorecard on Dean, click here.)

The most useful thing about this encounter was that each participant who had a snowball's chance of winning the nomination cited at least one issue on which he's distinct from nearly everybody else in the field. Here's the list.

Dean: "I opposed the Iraq war. With the exception of Dennis [Kucinich] and Carol [Moseley Braun], everybody else supported it." Unchallenged.

John Edwards: "[I propose] doing something I don't think anyone else up here does: raise the capital gains rate for those who make over $300,000 a year." Unchallenged.

Dick Gephardt: "Everybody up here except Dennis voted for NAFTA and voted for the China [trade] agreement. They did the wrong thing. … I'm the only one who has led on this issue for over 20 years." Challenged by Edwards.

John Kerry: "I am the only presidential candidate who has offered a plan that actually reduces health-care costs for the 163 million Americans in the workplace who get their health care through work." Challenged by Edwards.

Joe Lieberman: "I'm the only candidate up here who goes beyond the existing tax cuts and would give 98 percent of the taxpayers a new income tax cut." Unchallenged.

Now for the awards.

Worst question. Moderator Paul Anger to Kucinich: "Given your personal decision not to consume animal products, how can you assure livestock producers you will be an advocate for them as president?" (Hypothetical follow-up to Lieberman: "Given your personal decision not to accept Jesus as your savior, how can you assure Christians you will be an advocate for them as president?")

Second-best question. Panelist Michele Norris to Lieberman. "Why does the nation spend 10 times as much on people of your generation than on your grandchildren?"