How was Romney the clear winner? Santorum cleaned his clock tonight. By the way, even those on CNN said afterward there was no clear winner.
I don’t think most people are perceptive enough to see past the strategies Romney employed. If they were, then arguments like Santorum’s would have taken him down for the count in 2008.
You also need to view this debate in the context of all events leading up to the vote. Even if this debate was a tie, which it wasn’t, the media will tailor their coverage to ensuring that Romney comes out on top. Drudge, Beck, Coulter, and the other establishment hacks will be licking Mitty’s wounds tomorrow.