Hillary Clinton's mission – if she chose to accept it – was to unify the party when she took the podium Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, and now the punditry is pondering whether she got the job done.

Eleanor Clift finds "the evidence mixed."

"The Obama camp seemed pleased ..." the Newsweek columnist writes. "But the glow of the evening only emboldened some Hillary supporters to continue to carry her banner. At a morning meeting of the Tennessee delegation when a Hillary supporter stood up to say she would switch her vote to Mr. Obama in [Wednesday's] roll call, a verbal brawl broke out with other Hillary delegates declaring their allegiance to Mrs. Clinton and assailing the turncoat."

President Bush's former speechwriter Michael Gerson notices that Mrs. Clinton's speech "did nothing to refute her own main assault on Mr. Obama during the primaries – that he is inexperienced and untested in international affairs. ... Hillary left Mr. Obama undefended against her own best attacks of a few months ago.

"In this speech," the Washington Post columnist blogs on Newsweek's site, "Hillary's revenge was subtle – but it was revenge nonetheless."

Andrew Romano, though, argues that Mrs. Clinton was shrewd not to cozy up to her former opponent too closely.

"Simply put, her best bet for achieving party unity was persuasion, not propaganda," the Newsweek blogger writes. Consider her audience: reluctant, mourning supporters who need to be convinced – not commanded – to consider her former opponent. As the polls constantly remind us, many of them still don't like Mr. Obama – and they probably suspect that Mrs. Clinton shares their skepticism. ...

"At its heart, the speech was convincing because it was credible."

Peggy Noonan concludes that "Mrs. Clinton's actions this week have been pivotal not only for Mr. Obama, but for her."

"She showed herself capable of appearing to put party first," the Wall Street Journal columnist writes. "I also believe she has come to appreciate both emotionally and intellectually The Importance of Being Teddy. She will not be the president of the United States the next four years, but she can ease herself into the role of Teddy Kennedy-esque fighter for her issues in the Senate. ... And that, for her, is a brilliant move. Really: brilliant. Here's one reason: Teddy is, throughout his party, beloved. Beloved would be something very new for Hillary."

Nancy Kruh is a freelance writer in Dallas; her e-mail address is nkruh@balanceofopinion.com.

The Pulse

A look at the week in punditry and the presidential campaign

THE OTHER CLINTON: Former president reaps kudos for effusive endorsement speech Wednesday, though not all are charmed. Ruth Marcus: "Excuse me for not joining in the Billfest, but let me point out ... 20 minutes of good behavior don't make up for weeks of churlishness."

BEST SPOKEN, LEAST HEARD: Pundits mostly tune out Mark Warner's keynote, but raves abound for Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and speech only C-SPAN viewers saw in entirety. Chris Cillizza: "Schweitzer won himself some admirers and ensured that he will almost certainly be in the mix the next time the Democratic Party goes looking for national candidates."

MORE HIGH MARKS: Speeches by Michelle Obama and Joe Biden skate through punditry gantlet with only sporadic criticism.

NARY A WORD: Democratic roar all but silences commentary on McCain camp, though Robert Novak – diagnosed with brain cancer (and formally retired) – rallies to report that Dem Joe Lieberman has put kibosh on GOP veep consideration.