COUNTING LAST TUESDAY’S get-together in New Hampshire, there have been eight Democratic presidential debates during the last three months. What a long, strange trip it’s been, beginning in New Mexico on September 4. From there, the left-leaning field took the proverbial left turn at Albuquerque, wandering through Baltimore, New York, Phoenix, Detroit, Boston, Des Moines and, Durham.

And what has this road show taught us? Only what we knew beforehand: Nine candidates on the same stage at the same time makes not only for bad entertainment, but miserable debates–like a blooper reel featuring the dumbest out-takes from “What’s My Line?”