Curiously, the talk after last week's Democratic debate seemed less about what the presidential candidates had to say than about how it affected one viewer.
That would be Vice President Joe Biden, who is still weighing another bid for the office and watched the debate from his home.
CNN, the debate host, had a podium at the ready for Biden, had he chosen to jump in. He wisely didn't take the offer and many thought he'd wait even longer to see reaction to Hillary Clinton's appearance in another forum before he shows his hand.
Former Secretary of State Clinton will testify this week in the latest round of congressional hearings on what happened in Benghazi under her watch.
The latest word is that Biden could have a decision before she testifies, which could serve to take the spotlight away from the inquiry, whatever his decision.
The committee's work has been somewhat discredited in recent weeks, most notably by Republicans who openly suggested its purpose was to run Clinton's poll numbers down.
She is expected to show the same poise in this situation as she did in the debate. So, the argument goes, there may not be that much of an opening left for the vice president to step in to "save" the party from a frontrunner staggered by Benghazi or the unrelenting criticism of her use of a private email server.
The biggest applause line of last week's debate arguably came when Bernie Sanders, the U.S. senator from Vermont, put the email issue to rest, at least for the Democratic primary.
"The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails," he declared. "... Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing America."
While that won't stop all the talk about the emails, it may help defuse the impact of those continuing attacks on Clinton.
If she proves less vulnerable to those two hovering issues -- Benghazi and the emails, isn't she a formidable nominee?
Post-debate analysis certainly suggests as much.
National pundits promptly echoed the sentiment that Biden may have waited too late to enter the race.
One after another of the talking heads declared that Clinton's strong debate performance last week cemented her status as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
Arguably, it did lessen the need for Biden to step in.
Polling after the debate backed up the conclusion. Real Clear Politics' latest average of polls gives Clinton 47 percent of the vote to Sanders' 25.4 percent.
Biden, though unannounced, comes in at 17.3 percent. When Biden isn't included in the polling, Clinton's lead is even greater over Sanders.
Polling also indicated that significant numbers of supporters of both Clinton and Sanders might be willing to switch to Biden, however. And reports of a Biden bid have gotten stronger in the last couple of days.
Nonetheless, despite the speculation, wait to hear it from Biden himself before accepting his candidacy as fact.
The vice president, although well liked by many, is way behind on raising money or building organization for a primary battle with Clinton, a former senator as well as a former secretary of state and first lady.
During the debate and afterward, she has looked nothing like the flawed candidate Republicans (and some in the national media) have painted her to be. She seemed ready to take whatever they -- or anyone else -- might dish out.
Compare the past week to last summer when talk often focused on Clinton's sliding poll numbers and the emergence of Sanders, a self-described "Democratic socialist," as a credible challenger.
For his part, Sanders did well in the debate and turned the event into a significant online fundraiser. He does still lead in New Hampshire polling and has shortened the distance between him and her in Iowa.
Still, he's in solid second place behind Clinton nationally and his real impact on this election cycle seems to be its effect on Clinton's campaign positions.
Are those shifts enough to weaken her chances in next year's general election?
Not likely, especially since billionaire Donald Trump remains at the top of the Republican heap.
Currently, Trump has 26.2 percent of the vote and Dr. Ben Carson has 21.2 percent, according to Real Clear Politics' poll average.
No one else breaks double digits, although U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is running third with 8.8 percent. He is the latest of the "establishment" candidates to be promoted as a serious contender for the Republican nomination -- if or when this inexplicable fascination with the Trump and Carson fades.
Meanwhile, the immediate drama is among the Democrats as Biden decides whether he will or won't run.
Commentary on 10/21/2015