The  2nd Presidential Debate of 2012 is now history. Both sides came away  with something to brag about. Both President Barack Obama and Governor  Mitt Romney showed up ready to rumble.

They did not disappoint.

With  the much more engaged and fiesty demeanor of President Obama, the edge  tonight will have to go to him as the overall debate winner. After his  performance in the last debate it was as if Lazarus had been resurrected  from the dead.

Although  the President by virtue of his combativeness gets the nod and the win,  Romney was not a pushover by any means. The Governor went toe-to-toe  with the President and held his own. But if scoring the debate on  points, the win goes to the Democratic candidate over the Republican  candidate.

What  was most interesting to me, and long overdue in my opinion, was that  the President finally came out and took responsibilty for the Benghazi  tragedy which left 4 Americans dead. This the President should have done  from day 1, but rather the narrative was spun of a protest gone awry  over a poorly produce anti-Islam video. The President finally said he  was responsible, but only after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had  fallen on her sword.

The  other take-away from this debate, for me, was that the President failed  to answer the question of why he should be re-elected. He still did not  lay out a clear idea of what a 2nd Obama Administration would look like  and what policies he would pursue. Why can't he give us a clear reason  to vote for him?

Romney,  on the other hand, failed in responding directly on the issue of  women's wages versus men's. Romney, also failed to paint a clearer and  cleaner picture of how his administration would deal with the issue of  illegal immigration.

Both  men definitely tried to show which was the Alpha male. Both men at  times tried to run over moderator Candy Crowley. Both men at times let  their irritation show. The President seemed more irritated than Romney,  but Romney came across as a bully at times trying to get his way.

The  President came up short also in not responding to why he failed to pass  immigration reform in his 1st 2 years in office. He deflected and  ducked the issue.

Romney  did not come out forcefully enough on ensuring that women and men be  paid a comparable wage for comparable work. Though he mentioned bringing  more women into his administration when he was governor of  Massachusetts, it was not enough, though commendable.

Some  have issue with the moderator over the Benghazi issue. Some saw that  she seemed to play to the President and cut off the discussion too soon.  I believe she may have overstepped and became part of the dialogue  rather than not making herself part of the story.

Republicans  and Democrats are able to crow tonight. Partisans in both camps saw  their candidates step up and do what was expected.

Big question is will it change the dynamics of the campaign?

I  do not see the momentum changing or that there will be any substantial  movement in trends. Unlike the 1st debate which was a game changer in  every sense of the word, this debate simply maintains where the race has  stood for over a week now - a razor's edge separating the 2 candidates.

From the Cornfield, while I score this one for Obama, the Romney supporters should feel equally served by their candidate.

Now  what will happen on Monday night when the candidates square off for the  last time before the majority of voters take to the polls on November  6?

Don't  forget that 4 days before Election Day, the final jobs numbers will  come out. Those numbers could once more put a wrinkle in the outcome.