This afternoon’s event was the closest Americans have come to a version of Questions With the Prime Minister. Like everyone else, I think this event did Obama a great deal of good; it was the antidote to everything that was insufferable about the State of the Union – the uninterrupted platitudes, the dishonest framing, the aversion to acknowledging alternative views, the endless droning, etc.

The questions from the Republicans were pointed but fair, and I think every member who asked a question thanked Obama for coming. I think most intriguing was when Obama was basically asked to take some responsibility for Pelosi shutting out House Republicans on major pieces of legislation. I’ve mocked some of Obama’s recent town halls, with questioners tending to ask deeply personal or sometimes simply inane questions. This setup eliminated the 11-year-old girls asking President Obama why some people were so mean. It was serious, it was substantive, and it had a decent level of detail.

The fact that it went so long, and that Obama didn’t head for the door quickly, suggests that he enjoyed it.

Two big questions arise from this event: Will he do a similarly- formatted, televised Q-and-A with Democrats? And if this turns out to be the mutual political winner that is seems to be, how soon will we see another?