Tonight Obama and Hillary will meet at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood for another Democratic debate. They might even shake hands. With John Edwards out of the race there will be no one to hold them back from going at each other’s throats. Edwards didn’t state it explicitly, but he knows the Obama/Hillary fight is what the people want to see.

The Kennedy endorsement was part of it. It’s causing some people to give Obama a second look. Those that were thinking about switching to Edwards, paused for a minute; the ‘default’ Hillary voters are at least listening to see what the Kennedys see in Obama.

He has to have a great showing in the debate to have a chance at swinging those votes or Hillary will definitely lock this nomination.

There are no time limits tonight, and no rules. Anything can happen.

Bob Mulholland, a campaign adviser for the California Democratic Party, told the Hollywood Reporter tonight’s debate is ‘the place to be.’

“This debate is so hot, we’re getting more requests for tickets than the Oscars are getting. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. .”

CNN’s David Bohrman agreed.. “You can see celebrities any day, every day in Hollywood. It’s no big deal. The big draw is Clinton vs. Obama.”

In a current Newsweek article Obama says he’s ready to play offense.

“Do you remember when [Michael] Jordan’s Bulls were playing the Detroit Pistons? They had the “Jordan Rules” [defense]. [The Pistons] would just knock ‘em around. They didn’t care. It wasn’t a pretty sight. But until the Bulls learned to push back, it was going to be hard for them to win. It’s not something I shy away from, but not something I relish. We’re not going to back down. It’s part of what’s at stake here: can we change our politics?”

I would have ended this post with that quote, but I can’t help that he answered the ever present experience question that hovers in the air for a lot of voters.

“The question isn’t who’s ready on day one, but who’s right on day one.

A mythology has been created that somehow just by being there for eight years [in the White House as First Lady], she is going to be better prepared, better organized and exercise better judgment.

But I would put my judgments on foreign policy next to hers over the last four years on Iraq, on Iran, on how would she conduct diplomacy, on Pakistan. I would argue that reflects readiness, not the fact that you sat in the White House or that you traveled to 82 countries.

On domestic policy, the critical issue is the ability to mobilize the American people to move forward. The problem on health care is not the technical one—we all talk to the same experts. The question is who can build working majorities to push this stuff through.

I don’t think any fair-minded observer would suggest that Hillary Clinton is best equipped to break us out of the political gridlock that exists in Washington.”

Gloves off!