“Let the game show begin! Oh, wait… This isn’t Let’s Make A Deal?”

In New Hampshire the existing field of seven Republicans had different missions going into the 120-minute rhetorical tussle. There was a bothersome hectic air about the show. Being TV, host John King was constantly stressing time, time, time, as if there weren’t 14 months until the convention and 512 days until the 2012 election.
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For Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann, it was a chance to introduce themselves to a national TV audience, or at least those Americans choosing to watch a low-rated cable news channel on a summer evening when they’ll have interminable opportunities to watch/read/listen more later, when others like Jon Huntsman may join in.

Bachmann took the opportunity to basically announce her candidacy. [...] Pawlenty, who’s new to this league, looked sincere but less comfortable than he will down the road. Ron Paul was, well, Ron Paul. [...] Fact is, the entire Republican field has moved in his direction in some areas like the overpowering size of the federal government now.

Newt Gingrich, trying to relaunch his stumbling campaign, was sharp, pointed and surprisingly brief for a former speaker; it served him well. [...] Romney’s ridden this circuit before and looked the most poised and presidential, even plopped in center stage.
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One striking sense from this initial encounter is how distinctly more conservative is the tone this time over 2007-08, especially in matters fiscal.

Although a new Gallup Poll reveals that Republicans are more interested this time in picking a winner than in finding an ideal ideological soulmate.

Here’s an article fact-checking the debaters’ statements.