Color LiberalOasis unimpressed with Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama waiting until the very last minute to announce they were voting against the Iraq bill.

When you're a Senator, the bottom line is how you vote.

When you're auditioning for President, the bottom line is: How well you lead. How well you frame the debate. How well you push back against bogus conservative attacks.

Out of those in presently serving in Congress, Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Dennis Kucinich were trying to lead. Clinton and Obama were on the defensive.

Most notably, Obama several weeks ago said, "I think that nobody wants to play chicken with our troops on the ground." He framed the debate on Bush's inaccurate terms, early, when it mattered most.

This is not necessarily a question of position.

Dodd's overall foreign policy vision isn't necessarily different than Obama's and Clinton's, based on their public remarks. As president, they may all end the war in Iraq similarly.

This is a question of leadership skills.

And this doesn't mean than Dodd and Kucinich automatically should be christened great leaders.

LiberalOasis was disappointed in Dodd's performance against Newt Gingrich last Sunday. Kucinich has never been able to prove he has the chops to sell his liberal vision beyond a loyal base of fans.

But moments such as these give us something to consider when sizing up the candidates.

There will be others.