I don't know who won, but Tommy Thompson lost. He should hang it up.

The debate was somewhat more entertaining that I expected. Mike Huckabee got big laughs for comparing Congress's spending habits to John Edwards at the beauty parlor. Ron Paul rushed in where even anti-war Democrats fear to tread--he blamed 9/11 on America's evil actions in the middle east. Giuliani probably rescued another lackluster performance with his strong objection to Paul's remark and his request that it be retracted. Giuliani isn't going to take a back seat to anyone on the terror issue.

Unfortunately, the debate was largely about Iraq and immigration, uncomfortable issues for all the top tier candidates because the base wants a black and white answer and what will inevitably be a shade of gray.

My impression is that McCain just doesn't have any good answers to give. He made a ridiculous assertion about torture--trying to characterize anyone who disagreed with him as a chickenhawk. I can't help but like and respect the man, but he is out-of-touch. I've gone from believing he was an acceptable choice for president to rejecting him outright as unsuitable. The man is simply out of touch. Al Qaeda strap bombs to themselves and blow up children--the entire discussion about torture is a moot point with them.

Giuliani was more animated than last time around, and he had a good response on the abortion issue--taking a libertarian line and stating that we should keep government out of our lives. Its not going to fly, but its a game try.

Romney didn't dominate the debate like he did last time, probably because he dominated the debate last time. He was on the receiving end of lots of pointed questions and attacks by the other candidates. Nevertheless, he kept his poise and performed well.

Its precisely the kind of performance we'll need from the next Republican president.

Final Thoughts: Fox News did a way better job with the debates than did MSNBC.

Morning After UPDATE: Mark Levin at NRO notes that Romney is looking stronger and stronger.

He's in his zone, he's nailed down his positions, he's confident and articulate

The American Idol Fox News text poll has Romney on top. Its a pretty blunt instrument as a survey tool (Ron Paul was second). How many people over the age of thirty even know how to text from a cell phone?