I've seen Obama running without a prepared speech and pre-chewed responses. He's not very good at it.

A successful debater (or lecturer, or teacher) is one who has internalized a consistent set of ideas and facts, and can explain and discuss them without difficulty. Usually they have no trouble rewording the ideas to approach them from a different direction. They are comfortable with their ideas. Gingrich, and some others, fall into this category.

The fundamental problem with Democratic leaders is that their internal set of ideas - complete statism - is something that has to be avoided in public. Something they need to constantly route the discussion around.

If you watch, most of Democratic politics is trying to convince voters that they're something they aren't.

Obama firmly believes that the Federal government should have total control of the healthcare system. So do a lot of leftists in this country. But a hell of a lot more Americans don't. Obama knows this, and has to pretend that he thinks otherwise.

This gap between his real socialist beliefs and what he has to sell would handicap even a skilled debater.