January 23, 2012 NBC Florida Debate

Post debate opinion:

What a debate!

Romney - He had a good night. No screwups; he answered the individual mandate question great as always; his steadfast opinion on whether it be war if Iran closes down the Strait of Hormuz was his best moment and I liked his quick affirmative to removing subsidies in the sugar industry in Florida.

Gingrich - He also a good night, although he looked very uncomfortable when Romney was bringing up his past claims he was a "historian" at Freddie Mac. His best answer was how he would not allow another four years to pass with the Castro regime still in power.

Santorum - He wasn't called upon often, but he answered well when he was. I liked his reasoning for preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and why fighting this hypothetical war would be for the better. Sadly, he only had one social values question to expound on his field of speciality.

Paul - I realized how extreme on military and foreign policy he really is tonight when he dismissed Cuba and basically blamed us for everything that has gone wrong down there. He does not belong in the Oval Office.

Winner: It's a draw between Romney and Gingrich.

Original Article:

The four remaining Republican contenders will be debating for the first time since South Carolina on NBC tonight, 9 pm eastern time, with Brian Williams hosting the two hour long event. The National Journal and The Tampa Bay Times' will also have folks asking questions.

UPDATE: Watch the debate live here. And vote: 

Who Won the Republican Debate? 

GOP Debate 1/23/2012 Video Highlights

This debate is crucial for Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, as both are seeking to gain the edge in next week's vital winner-take-all primary, and both need to perform well for the homestate GOP electorate just tuning into the debates, which is what fueled Gingrich's last minute tsunami in South Carolina.

Romney especially needs to improve his game over his two bad debates last week, and to undercut the "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" populism Gingrich has so successfully articulated and remind voters that we don't need Howard Beale running against Barack Obama, but someone who can both win and eventually govern; not yell at the media constantly.

What say you?