The debate between Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tonight was one part slug fest, two parts 'confess' and one part love fest. When mixed together and heated for 90 minutes, it gave citizens who have yet to vote in the primaries a lot to digest.

The debate started out by addressing the recent bipolar remarks of Clinton - one comment lifted Obama up as an honorable opponent, but it was followed by another smacking him down as a cheat and liar. Like any seasoned politician though, she quickly changed the subject and diverted the conversation to the topic of healthcare.

Thus, the slug fest portion of the debate began, in which both candidates argued valiantly for their own plans to provide affordable universal health coverage.

While some may feel like the heated dialogue consisted of two people arguing different sides of the same coin, I found this to be one of the most stimulating and substantive parts of the debate. To learn more about the Clinton plan, click here. To learn more about the Obama plan, click here. With healthcare spending expected to double in the next decade, according to some reports, there is good reason for this issue to be central to both Clinton's and Obama's campaigns.

Next, it was Tim Russert's turn to ask some questions. Russert has no fear of speaking truth to power, and while I did agree with Clinton's observation that he asked a lot of hypothetical questions, his refusal to accept nebulous answers provided some valuable insights into both candidates mindset and beliefs.

Russert also asked the candidates to confess to some apparent inconsistencies between their current stances and past positions. In particular, he asked about NAFTA, the war in Iraq and the creation of jobs. It was kind of like a political version of Taxicab Confessions. He even asked them to admit to a past mistake - Clinton said voting for the Iraq War; Obama said not speaking up more for Congress mistakenly getting too involved in the Terry Schiavo case.

Clinton's answers were more direct all the way around; however, her aggressiveness made her points hard to swallow at times. Obama had a better presence; however, he seemed cautious in some of his answers, which could be perceived as weakness or lack of knowledge or experience.

The end of the debate is where the love fest played out. Obama took the high ground and praised Clinton as a qualified and capable candidate for president, even though he felt like he would do a better job of it. Clinton praised Obama for...well...she praised the potential of either one of them making history in this process, even though she was clearly representative of the more stupendous accomplishment.

It was kind of like when you give someone a courtesy hug - Obama leaned in and Clinton gave him a little pat on the back. Obama seemed sincere, and Clinton seemed self-absorbed.

My 10 biggest takeaways from the debate were:

1. Obama is an inspirational leader that focuses on relationships
2. Clinton is a fighter who will go toe-to-toe with anyone
3. Both candidates are intelligent, passionate and committed public servants
4. Obama is an identifiable role model who connects well with a broad cross section of Americans
5. Clinton is a role model for strong women
6. Both candidates have the opportunity to make history by being a "first" [woman or African American] to be elected President of the United States
7. Obama has plans that will appeal more to moderates, independents and crossover Republicans
8. Clinton has a plan that will appeal more to the traditional Democratic idealists
9. Both candidates have plans that will benefit the American people and the nation
10. I still feel like Obama should be the Democratic nominee for President, in spite of the fact that either candidate would be a better President than a Republican or Independent alternative

Ultimately, while Hillary Clinton is a fine candidate, America is ready for a more inspirational President like Barack Obama.