While watching the debate yesterday I was surprised that there were no answer limit clocks (with the standard green, yellow, red lights), and also curious about how much time the candidates were being given in comparison with each other. Fortunately, the good folks at the Dodd online team created a "Time Clock" for just that purpose.

Looking at these stats gives me a mixed reaction. On one hand, I'm not surprised that the 3 front runners got the most time, while Gravel (and his fringe attacks on the other Dems) got the least. But, it's a little unsettling to see the time disparity so strongly reflecting current national polls. Debates like these are supposed to be the one setting in which all candidates are given an equal chance to get their message across, yet that basic principle seems to have been violated last night. I hope the Dodd camp continues to track the time in future debates. I'm sure the blogosphere will be watching.