No punches are being pulled at tonight's Dem debate.

Both candidates started the evening with references to "the promise of America" (which is what Progressive patriotism is about). But after getting attacked for a while, Obama tried to position himself closer to the Conservative version of patriotism by talking (as he has before) about himself as evidence that America has actually fulfilled some of its promise already.

Evidently, Obama's campaign can't get by on "hope" alone. There's got to be something good about America now.