Keller @ Large: Romney Holds Inside Track
BOSTON (CBS) - Let me stipulate something right off the bat – I am not calling a winner in last night's notably contentious Republican presidential candidates' debate.
Listen to Jon's commentary:
Podcast
If you watched it, you know who impressed you most and least, and nothing I can say will likely sway you, nor would I want it to.
Debates are usually like Rorschach tests, people see in them what they want to see, short of an obvious blunder or knockout punch by one of the contestants.
And last night, almost all of the seven candidates on stage did at least something to recommend themselves.
Almost all.
If Newt Gingrich did anything to make you warm up to him, I'd like to know what it was.
All I heard from him was name-calling, with "stupid" and "illiterate" among his favorite slurs, and an appalling proposal for seven, unmoderated three-hour debates between the GOP nominee and President Obama next fall.
After sitting through those, better brace yourself for a stampede of spontaneous emigration to Canada and Mexico.
And Rick Santorum made Gingrich seem like a cuddly teddy bear.
Anyway, among the candidates who appear to have little chance of winning the nomination, Ron Paul made a good point when he placed military spending in the context of the ability of other countries to actually harm us, which is minimal.
And Michelle Bachmann made it clear she's a mom.
Don't know about you, but I like moms.
That leaves us with Rick Perry, who didn't impress me but at least showed a pulse; Herman Cain, who stumbled on dealing with terrorists but remains an engaging presence; and our own former governor, Mitt Romney.
He took a lot of heat last night, but was the only candidate to repeatedly reference "helping people" and try to bring the conversation back to reviving the economy.
If competence and focus in a debate is considered an important part of this job audition, Romney holds the inside track after last night, like it or not.
He's far from perfect.
But in all honesty, do any of the others seem nearly as presidential as Romney, warts and all?
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
