Fred Thompson scored a clean win in this debate. He was funny (joking with Mitt Romney about taxes and acting); he was stern (rebuking the lame narrator for her show-of-hands question); he was serious (talking about entitlements); and he was presidential (this race is about national security). He was, in short, everything that his earliest supporters hoped he would be when he first decided to run. The question now is whether it's too late.
Thompson's best answer came when the moderator asked him about the skepticism he's expressed toward the latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. Thompson replied:
That's probably the most important question that's been asked today. We have a real problem with our intelligence community. The fact is that nobody has any real confidence in the results that they're getting. A president cannot let a piece of paper by a bureaucrat determine, solely determine, what his actions are going to be.
Romney was also impressive. He came across as very knowledgeable and increasingly likeable.
Mike Huckabee, by contrast, is wearing thin. His canned lines are stale and too glib. He talks like a self-help guru.
