Things to Watch in Tonight's Debate

Rivals don't exactly hammer the frontrunner in GOP debate

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney was supposed to be the prime target at tonight's ABC debate, but it didn't quite work out that way, writes Steve Peoples at AP . His rivals took some shots at him but squabbled among each other just as often. Romney, for his part, focused most of his fire at President Obama. ("His policies have made the recovery more tepid.") Romney "never appeared flustered," writes Michael D. Shear at the New York Times , and his display of "perfect calm" was tailor-made for a front-runner. "Shots so not fired," adds Elspeth Reeve at the Atlantic blog. Some notable moments:

• Paul-Santorum: Ron Paul accused Rick Santorum of being a "big-government person" who also was "corrupt" for taking lobbyists' money. Santorum called the corruption charge "ridiculous" and said his record was "pretty darn good."

Texas governor makes his presidential debate debut

(NEWSER) - Rick Perry made his debate debut tonight, and it's clear the new frontrunner is happy to mix it up. He and Mitt Romney went after each other with gusto, notes AP , as evidenced by an early exchange: After Perry criticized Romney's record of creating jobs in Massachusetts, Romney zinged back by saying that Perry taking credit for job growth in Texas is like Al Gore taking credit for the Internet. “Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt,” Perry said. “As a matter of fact,” Romney retorted, “George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, Governor.” Later, Perry called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme," while Romney said, “Our nominee has got to be someone who isn’t committed to abolishing Social Security," notes Politico . More»

Front-runner stays above the fray as Minnesotans clash

(NEWSER) - Last night's GOP debate in Iowa was a testy affair, but Mitt Romney managed to stay above the fray and his front-runner status still isn't in doubt—at least until Rick Perry enters the race, pundits say.

• "Neither the candidates nor the moderators did much to draw blood" from Romney, who "sauntered unscathed through his second consecutive debate," writes Alexander Burns at Politico . Romney "stuck to narrow talking points" when asked about his taxation record in Massachusetts and the debt ceiling debate, and his answers weren't challenged, Burns notes.

Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum also at Huckabee jobs forum

(NEWSER) - With reproductive rights heating up the US politisphere and Super Tuesday around the corner, Mike Huckabee hosted a GOP forum for Fox News tonight on a more stolid political topic: jobs. Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum were the candidates in attendance (Ron Paul was busy campaigning in Washington state ). Highlights included Romney showing—get ready—voice-cracking emotion, and Gingrich taking a hard line on gas prices and unemployment, the Washington Post reports. More»

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»