I thought the point on that question was to try to get away from the talking points. They both had things prepared to say about the global AIDS problem, but neither of them really had much to say about AIDS here in the US--possibly because they hadn't been prepped for it. Similarly, when she asked about flip-flopping, she explicitly wanted them to address when it's ok for a politician to change his or her mind. But both candidates just listed off the standard flip-flop charges against the other side, and didn't even bother to try to answer the question asked.

I was a bit disappointed that Edwards didn't take the chance to respond to the AIDS in the US question by hitting on the abstinence-only education policy of the Bush administration, but then, Edwards passed up a lot of similar opportunities.