The Republican Debate in Orlando

I missed the beginning of Sunday night's Republican presidential debate on FOX News.

I was watching the end of the Bears - Eagles game.

What a nightmare!

It took a while for me to get over that last minute debacle, but I did eventually calm down and settle in to catch a good portion of the debate.

A few observations--

--This is stating the obvious but I need to say it: Ron Paul is absolutely clueless when it comes to foreign policy.

--Fred Thompson put in a much better performance than he did about two weeks ago at his '08 presidential debate debut. Last time, I thought he appeared rather lifeless and disengaged. This time, Thompson seemed much more comfortable and eager to challenge his opponents as well as the misconceptions about him that the media promote. I saw a spark in him, like he really wanted to be there. That was good to see.

--Of the top tier candidates, I think Mitt Romney was the least impressive last night. He seemed to be on defense too much.

--John McCain was feisty and funny. He got off some good lines. A while back, I thought his campaign was dead in the water. I'm not so sure anymore. It's as though he's been rejuvenated. He seemed strong and capable.

--Rudy Giuliani continued his strategy of reserving many of his attacks for Hillary Clinton. I think that's smart. Everytime he goes after the Dem frontrunner, it makes me think that he would be up to the challenge if he and Hillary were pitted against each other.

--I think Mike Huckabee has a good chance of being the vice presidential nominee.