16 YEARS OF EDUCATION.

Biden: "Start two years earlier and guarantee two years of college." This is the kind of clearly stated principle -- not programs -- that can open up the conversation. And Democrats often get stuck on questions of college education because they forget about community colleges -- the gateway to higher ed for more than half of all students. A first-two-years guarantee both respects that and could significantly reduce the total loan burden for people who go further. So far, an excellent debate -- all about substance but in a way that reveals the attitudes and personalities underneath. It's about what the issues say about them. --Mark Schmitt