Well, last night's GOP debate was intriguing -- an not surprisingly, most of the candidates indicated their continued support for the continuation of the mission in Iraq. And, as expected, Giuliani flailed around on abortion, Ron Paul engaged in monologues on federalism and the founders, and one candidate (Tommy Thompson) ended up looking like a deer in the headlights when confronted with an unexpected question.

I agree with Captain' Ed's assessment -- Romney won.

* Who won? -- Mitt Romney won this debate. He looked relaxed, answered clearly, showed real warmth and a sense of humor, and actually answered the questions asked of him -- even the stupid ones, to which I'll return shortly. After Romney, one has to think that Jim Gilmore and Mike Huckabee may have made some strides in breaking out of the third tier. They also showed that they could connect emotionally to the audience and give clear, thoughtful answers.

Roger Simon agrees.