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Overall, I thought all of the Republicans did well. All of them came across as men who could be trusted to run the country. All of them did a good job of airing differences while focusing on the fact that the Democrats are a disaster. I still think that there were winners and losers. Here is my ranking.

Fred Thompson - While Fred Thompson is still my third or fourth choice, I think he did the most good for himself in tonight's debate. He's managed to keep expectations low, and simply rising above those expectations helps him. Tonight, he did well, and I will say that he did well regardless of expectations. He looked good when he stood by his previous position on Medicare and Medicaid. Those stances aren't going to be popular in Florida, but he's willing to take those stands for the reasons he stated. He looked good when he explained his tort reform votes (even though I don't completely believe his defense of his votes). He didn't seem as comfortable with foreign policy questions, but he did well enough.

Mitt Romney - Mr. Romney is still a great speaker, and his ability as a speaker always makes him strong in these venues. He didn't say anything that could be twisted the way his statement about checking with lawyers was. He cited his record as governor of Massachusetts, private management experience, and leadership of the Olympics effectively. He made as good a case as can be made for the marriage amendment. He must position himself as the "anti-Rudy" who can hold the core voters in the party, and he still looks good in that role.

Rudy Giuliani - Rudy Giuliani is still in the lead in the polls, and his goal is to keep his supporters from bolting to other candidates. If he does this, he'll pick up some undecided voters and may pick up enough to win the nomination. He mostly needed not to make any major mistakes, and he didn't make any major mistakes.

The rest - The rest of the field did well enough, but tonight was not good for anyone except these three. John McCain had some good applause lines, but he didn't appear to offer anything that we can't get in other candidates. He can talk about being a consistent conservative, but he's stabbed conservatives in the back too many times. Tonight's debate made his losing position more obvious. Mike Huckabee did well enough, but everyone else's performance was good enough that Mike Huckabee's speaking skill no longer stands out. His talk about health sounds good, but he sounds like one more idiot nagging us about eating and exercise. Mike Huckabee needs to be able to distinguish himself in these debates, but he didn't.

While Duncan Hunter remains my favorite candidate, he didn't receive many questions. He seemed like someone who was being offered a spot as a courtesy and not because he has a real chance. Being seen in that way hurts him further. The same is true for Tom Tancredo.

As always, Ron Paul will obviously not win either the nomination or the presidency. He's simply wrong on too many issues. The media likes including him in the debates because he says something different, but he's adding nothing to the debates. Those who are serious about sorting the Republican field would like to see a debate without wasting time on him.

Bill