Why Newt's Marriages Are Fair Game

Santorum's on the hot seat, Romney's back is to the wall, Gingrich needs a comeback

(NEWSER) - It's been a while, but America's favorite political game show is back. Yes, the Republican presidential candidates will square off in Mesa tonight for their first debate in nearly a month. Here are the storylines in play:

• The final showdown—The stakes are "about as high as they could be," the Washington Post observes, because this might be the last debate of the GOP primary, and certainly the last before Super Tuesday. And since losses in Arizona and Michigan could be fatal for Mitt Romney's campaign, he has to perform tonight.

Gail Collins mocks the latest GOP debate

(NEWSER) - Last night's debate threw the GOP race into focus for Gail Collins, and it predictably begins with her favorite prop, Seamus Romney: "Take your pick, Republicans. On one hand, the guy who once drove to Canada with the family dog strapped to the roof of the car," and on the other, the guy who "was defeated for re-election by one of the widest margins in American history," Collins writes in the New York Times . Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum spent most of the night squabbling, with Santorum proving he could bring up Romneycare "even if the subject was rutabagas." More»

He didn't actually offer ABC any witnesses to refute ex-wife

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich's campaign today admitted that it hadn't actually offered ABC any character witnesses to refute allegations made by his second wife , as the speaker had angrily insisted it had. "The story was false. Every personal friend I have who knew us in that period says the story is false," he declared in the most recent CNN debate . "We offered several of them to ABC to prove it was false. They weren't interested." Turns out that wasn't quite the case. More»

GOP voters angry, stuck with bad candidates, say pundits

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich's big win in South Carolina has the Republican establishment squirming and political experts churning, trying to explain what the results mean:

• GOP base in revolt. "People are mad as hell they are about to be stuck with another boring, moderate, uninspiring choice that has at best a 50/50 shot at losing to the worst president since Carter," says Erick Ericson at RedState . "Basically, today’s vote is about Republican grassroots giving the Washington Republican establishment the finger."
• Not about policy, but soul. Gingrich and Mitt Romney don't have many big policy differences; instead this is a debate about the emotion and soul of the Republican Party, reports the AP : 'It might not be pretty."

Santorum shined but it was Newt's night, pundits say

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul all had their moments in last night's GOP debate, but it was Newt Gingrich's night thanks to his fiery first five minutes , pundits say.

• Rick Santorum took the fight to Gingrich and Romney and was the "central mover in the debate," but Newt's condemnation of the media was "his finest hour in the race," writes Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post . He took a potential weak spot and "turned it into a moment of considerable strength." Romney, for the first time, "found a compelling message when it came to questions about his considerable personal wealth," he notes.