Bill Maher’s presence on the Huffpo/Slate/Yahoo debate added in a fresh voice but also lots of awkward moments. The candidates faced a funnyman and they thought they should laugh. So did Charlie Rose. Granted, Maher’s delivery is deadpan, but in some cases, he wasn’t trying to be funny. He asked Clinton about being fooled by George Bush and she guffawed. He asked Obama about religion — asking why there are no commandment against rape and torture but there are against swearing — and he uncomfortably chortled. He asked Kucinich about why he wouldn’t assassinate mass-murderer Osama Bin Laden and it’s Rose who tries to chuckle. Strange.

Kucinich:

Obama:

And here’s John Edwards having a big laugh about cow flatulence. “He’s such a funny guy,” Edwards says.

Then again, some of Maher’s questions bombed like a (take your pick) Iraqi scud or an Al Sharpton monologue. He asks Biden whether sugar, coal dust in the air, or terrorists are likely to kill more Americans. That’s as insipid as a (take your pick) sophomore’s poem or a VW’s bumpersticker.