John, I only caught the second half of the debate, but I’m surprised that you think it won’t change anything. The thing that struck me most about the candidates was not so much anything about the specifics of their responses, but their respective energy levels. McCain and Rudy often seemed to be fighting not to win the Republican nomination, but just to keep from dozing off. Their voices were soft and monotonous, and the points they made lacked punch. In stark contrast, Romney was commanding — articulate, confident, indeed Presidential — followed by Thompson, who did a fine job showing off his laconic charm and sense of humor. Some of this is likely due to the moderator, who seemed unable to create any sense of flow, drama, or tension to the exchanges. It was like a long Q&A session at the DMV, and a strange one at that.

Overall it strikes me that Romney was the victor by a large margin. I’m nowhere near the horse race-watcher that you are, but I’d be surprised if this debate does not put some wind in Romney’s sails.