After having a bad week and poor debate performances recently, tonight Mitt Romney came back with a roar, being very strong against Newt Gingrich, putting the former Speaker on the defensive. Romney had a lot of applause from the audience on a regular basis.
Also performing very well, possibly the best ever for him, was Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who made a good case for the end of foreign intervention, and made clear what he considered to be the mistakes and shortcomings of the other three candidates.
Rick Santorum also had moments of outstanding responses, with Newt Gingrich overall having the poorest performance.
The one thing that stands out most is that this debate in many ways was the most substantive yet, and the audience, while reacting, was still much more disciplined and responsible in its responses, unlike earlier debates, particularly those sponsored by Fox News Channel.
Still, all of the candidates have major weaknesses, and will have difficulty challenging President Obama for re-election.