I agree. That said, I think the candidates' performance last night is likely to be indicative of how they will handle themselves throughout the campaign. Clearly Romney outshined the competition, and I can't see that changing no matter how much preparation the rest do. He's simply quicker on his feet than the rest - a difficult skill to "learn". McCain just makes people feel uncomfortable, and that never has and never will change. And I don't see Rudy ever comparing favorably to Mitt in any debate format.
I also think that if Gilmore can hang around long enough to get into debates where there are only 4 or 5 candidates, he has the potential to be a factor. His performance last night was very good, but it was difficult for him to separate from the pack due to the format itself. I'd say that about Huckabee as well, although to a lesser extent than Gilmore.
Finally, I thought Hunter had a great night. But I just think he has too far to climb, and will run out of steam and/or funding before becoming a serious contender.
Gilmore might be setting himself up as a perfect VP candidate for 2008. One of the demographic/political trends over the last couple of decades is that Virginia has become a more heavily-contested state as more and more leftists have fled there from Maryland and the Northeast, and having this guy on the ticket might go a long way toward keeping it in the (R) column.
Right now, I'm really hoping Thompson declares, although so far NO poll has him beating either Hillary or Obama---but again, that might change if he actually becomes a real candidate.