Let Bill Clinton Run Against Gingrich

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»

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.

Everyone but Newt Gingrich turned it down

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich would probably love to fill an hour or more of debate time all by his lonesome, but CNN would rather he not. The network canceled a debate scheduled for March 1 after Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum bowed out, reports the National Journal . The trio cited hectic campaign schedules ahead of Super Tuesday on March 6. A CNN debate scheduled for Feb. 22 is still on, however. More»

Florida GOP says 'rank-and-file' got tickets to Jacksonville debate

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney enjoyed a favorable audience last night ... because his campaign loaded the hall with supporters, Newt Gingrich aides tell the Huffington Post . "They definitely packed the room," said a top adviser. Another staffer called the situation "obvious," noting, "I was getting calls and emails from all over saying this. Just average people saying, 'Wait a minute.'" The Florida Republican Party "picked 900-plus seats" in the room, about 75% of the total, the rep added, a figure confirmed by a party spokesman. More»

Let the crowds make noise: David Weigel

(NEWSER) - The Republicans debate again tonight , and there's plenty of carping about how there's too many of these things. Not from David Weigel at Slate . He wants more, more, more. If they weren't debating, the candidates would be in choreographed campaign mode, which reveals little. "The ideal campaign moment comes when a candidate answers questions with cameras pointed at him and no possibility of escape," he writes. "No control over conditions, or setting, or who does the interview: The candidate is trapped." More»