I agree with you. Newt was cool and collected. He reminded me of Ali in his later prize fights where he had the opponent punch himself out.
HIs answers on Space exploration, Terry Schiavo, English as the national language, for example could not have been answered better even if he had days to think about the answer with a teleprompter.
I don’t think there is anyone who can think on his feet like Newt. How does he do it? Over and over, he does.
But this morning we hear others saying he lost the debate, and that he fizzled. I guess we’ll have to see what the polls show, but I can’t seen them changing more than a few points.
Newt can think on his feet for several reasons:
He’s extremely knowledgeable.
Lots of experience from his days as a professor.
He very disciplined (In contract to what others want you to believe) He chooses his actions and does NOT react.
He as identified his target.
It’s all in the eye of the beholder.
Except that Terri was not in a coma. Even Santorum's answer could have been improved. The questioner then pivoted to DNR orders (do not resuscitate) which have nothing whatsoever to do with the Schiavo case, yet no one pointed that out. Newt did best, though, by saying that if she'd been a convict on Death Row, the appeal would have been automatic.