PRESTOPUNDIT -- "An intense brain-buzz, guaranteed" (2blowhards)

Here is the AP's debate story. Quotable:

The tension between the two peaked when Schwarzenegger began to cut Huffington off and she replied: "This is the way you treat women, we know that. But not now."

Statham penalized Huffington and gave Schwarzenegger a chance to reply, providing another opening for one of his frequent movie references.

"I just realized that I have a perfect part for you in Terminator 4," he said to Huffington, as the audience laughed.

And it looks like this part of the post-debate story was pre-written before the debate:

Schwarzenegger set high expectations for his own performance by calling the forum "the Super Bowl of debates," and his rivals in the Oct. 7 recall election were expected to try and challenge him or trip him up.

"This is the opening scene of the third act of the campaign, and it's a referendum on Arnold," said Republican strategist Allan Hoffenblum.

"He needs to come across as competent, that he has command of public policy issues and that he appears qualified to be governor. If he does all that, he'll win."