I agree with you, I just watched it, Mitt DID turn red but on balance I give that exchange to Mitt even though at one point it looked like two schoolboys going at it.
On health care, Santorum attacked him, but he held his ground, refuted some points, and then sequeways into the need to repeal Obamacare and ends up with a solid applause line.
Newt then attacks him on health care. He seems to be doing a very effective job of criticizing Romney both on pragmatism and principle. But then Romney gets Newt to affirm that, as a member of the Heritage Foundation, he at one time advocated for an individual mandate. Newt's left looking foolish, and Romney is still commanding the debate.
Perry remains ineffectively slow, inarticulate and clumsy put up against pretty much anyone else on the stage. I continue to fast forward over most of Michelle Bachmann.
I didn't think Cain's defense of 9-9-9 was very effective. Apples and Oranges. Read OUR analysis. I think Newt effectively summarized the political problems with the concept. He did it magnanimously, but the bottom line was shitcan 9-9-9.
Ron Paul is not a commanding speaker, with his sing-song pitch, and unpolished delivery. But sometimes his 100 proof libertarianism is a welcome thing. Like his answer on the tax question. He also lambasted 9-9-9, but then gave a good quick talk about how SPENDING is the source of our woes.