The Iowa Debate.

The NYT has a detailed live-blog. We watched here at Meadhouse. I slept through part of it. Not really the fault of the candidates. But I'll just say that I think Bachmann and Romney stood out as the strongest candidates. Both are good at taking somewhat tough questions and reframing them. Both seem presidential. Huntsman, Pawlenty and Cain, I'd say, were weak. Santorum was squirrelly. Gingrich would rankle at ordinary questions, calling them "gotcha questions," then go on to talk about how we have to talk about "ideas." Ron Paul got so angry — usually while spouting pacifism, ironically. Both Gingrich and Paul have a nasty demeanor of a sort that, I think, will never make it to the White House.