So who won? Tonight, two candidates really benefited form their efforts. I have a feeling that Mitt Romney will emerge from every one of these shindigs as the most articulate, well informed and appealing candidate. In terms of debating skills, it’s a man amongst boys out there. But Rudy also had a great night, rebounding from a fairly disastrous debut at the first go-round. Rudy is by far the most likely candidate to have an “I paid for this microphone” moment.

Mitt gains from every one of these formats. The more the country gets to see him, the better it is for him. As for Rudy, he did nothing less than right his campaign’s listing ship. This was the first time in a long time that it looked like his frontrunner status was anything more than an accident.

As for McCain, it was an up and down night. He badly bungled the Confederate Flag question, but had some good moments, too. McCain looks a bit tired and inarticulate at these things. When Fred gets in, the contrast between him and the rest of the top tier will be all the starker.

Now, some individual comments:

1) Rudy Giuliani - Much, much better than last time. Still, the format doesn’t lend itself to his speaking style. At these things, Rudy rambles, interrupting himself only to interject a tired soundbite. I wonder why he can’t streamline his thought processes more efficiently. Nevertheless, he had by far the best moment of the night by challenging Congressman Crackpot on his absurd 9/11 comments.

2) John McCain – Obviously McCain was trying to tone it down tonight. The finger pointing and shrillness that characterized his effort a couple of weeks ago were happily absent tonight. His campaign must have hooked up a focus group to one of those Frank Luntz instant reaction gizmos to grade his performance last time.

3) Mitt Romney – Was it just me, or did Romney talk a lot less tonight than in the previous hoedown? Anyway, about Iraq, his answer was so much more scholarly than the others. It’s almost like he’s a doctorate holder who actually knows the facts, while the other guys are platitude spewing high school students. His command of the facts and authoritative delivery have to be the envy of the field.

4) Tommy Thompson – Tommy usually holds his hands, arms and the rest of his body perfectly still while he talks. When he offers some body language, it’s like a little voice in his head is saying, “Move your hands – it will make you look life-like.” The effect makes him resemble a disembodied head atop a gray suit. Maybe America will flip for that image. I didn’t. I’m even going to make a prediction – Tommy Thompson will be the first candidate voted off the island. His presidential campaign is providing a disgraceful coda to a distinguished career. Let it end!

5) Ron Paul – Do you know that this Robert Taft-idolizing crackpot is Andrew Sullivan’s latest heartthrob? Andrew’s bitterly disappointed that Republicans aren’t giving Paul a chance. I’m convinced that if Andrew familiarized himself with Paul’s background, his disappointment would be mitigated. On the bright side, Wendell Goler asked Paul for three programs he would cut. Talk about serving a heaping helping of red meat to a libertarian. (For what it’s worth, Paul is actually right about the Department of Homeland Security; that monstrosity is a living breathing emblem of all that’s wrong with our government.) The good news is that Paul was such an embarrassment tonight, he may not be invited to the next debate. As Captain Picard might say, make it so.

6) Tom Tancredo – Tancredo is completely unready for primetime. He halts when he speaks, and is oddly unsure of himself. Not that it matters, but he’s not presidential. At these forums, he’d be better off going the Ron Paul route and just talking about what he wants to talk about in response to every question. When asked about Iraq, talk about immigration. When asked about the economy, talk about immigration. What’s the worse that can happen? It’s not like he can sink in the polls. Good line about “the road to Des Moines,” though. Across the board, the canned jokes were pretty solid tonight.

7) Some Guy Named Gilmohr – Can this guy ever answer a single question without immediately citing his résumé?

8) Sam Brownback – Obviously made a concerted effort to be more animated tonight. Since the bar was set very low in that regard, mission accomplished. But, sheesh, when Brownback was talking about ethanol as the answer to rising gas prices, I felt like throwing my Cairn terrier through the TV screen. You know what ethanol is? The chemical compound that results when you mix corn and tax dollars.

9) Mike Huckabee – You know what bugs me about Huckabee and Gilmore? I get no sense that any depth of understanding lurks beneath their platitudes and the obsessive recitation of their résumés. Nevertheless, I have to give Huckabee mad props for the “John Edwards in a beauty shop” line. Could it be that my relentless pounding of the Pink Sapphire meme has successfully brought it into the mainstream? If so, I could not be prouder.

10) Duncan Hunter – Unlike the guys who mention their lame-o backgrounds as governor, Hunter actually has a résumé that you gotta love. Also, I think he comes across impressively. In a better world, he would be a top tier candidate.

Compliments? Complaints? Contact me at Soxblog@aol.com